THE LATE PRESIDENT William Richard Tolbert described children as his 'precious jewels' and future leaders of the nation, endeavoring by so doing to drive home the idea that today's children are tomorrow's adults with the challenging responsibility to shoulder the affairs of the country. Some of the children of Tolbert's days are obviously today's ministers, directors, doctors, lawyers, rights' advocates to name a few.
IN ESSENCE, THE late President saw the strength of the nation in terms of the quality and quantity of its young people, whose development he considered as underpinning all calculations of national development planning and humanitarian endeavors. But current practice, especially, as an outgrowth of the war era, is the criminal enterprise of child abduction euphemistically camouflaged as adoption. In Liberia today, so called humanitarian workers including religious workers acting on catalogue orders of crafty child-seekers, come to the country under the name of benevolent institutions and establish what are referred to as orphanages. From these institutions, the good-doers capture en masse children of poverty stricken families and quickly fly them to childless couples abroad, who in turn defray their criminal deeds with mouthwatering financial rewards.
WHILE THE ATTITUDE of these child seekers is dangerous to the consistent retention of the population, parents who are easily conceding to the carrying out of these criminal designs must be blamed on the same scale. There is demand and supply that is fueling the evil transaction. But government institutions responsible for monitoring such charitable institutions cannot be spared from the same blame game because the organizations involved in these activities secure the necessary backings before going ahead. It would not be a mistake to say that these officials, not content with their wages as usual are financially trapped against using their best wisdom of nationalism to stem this practice. Like mindless shepherds, they widely open the gates for lions, leopards and other predators to devour their animals. What a shameful dilemma for the innocent children, the gifts of the Creator to both the parents and the country?
WHERE THEN IS the future of the country? What stakes have the country in these children that are carted away without future report about their wellbeing or social progress? In this way, we waste the future of our country without any national consideration of the devastating consequence this will pose for the country. We must learn to keep our children here and secure means of educating them to shoulder the future of the nation with capable leadership. In some ways, there is a similarity of slavery to the current practice of abduction now called adoption. Our ancestors, according to history were captured in the hinterland, herded to the coast and then stockpiled in the holds of ships and taken abroad to provide various forms of backbreaking agricultural supports. Instead of adults, as the current practice is, our younger ones, the tender children, Tolbert's 'Precious Jewels' are taken away in the 21st Century without public outcry or questioning by even 'authorities'.
A RECENT NEWS that provoked this analysis has it that some child adoption groups are now directly engaged in child trafficking. The disturbing news has it that two child adoption agencies Addy's Hope Adoption Agency based in Texas, USA, and Greater Love Children's Home in Liberia are at the center of controversy in this trafficking. According to the news, the two groups have succeeded in taking seven of ten children out of Liberia under the same scheme.
WE BELIEVE THAT this news is a dangerous signal of the extent to which this sad practice in our national history has evolved.
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The children of Liberia are most definitely precious jewels! And I agree that once Liberia is able to care for their children that it would be best for the children to remain in their birth country. But, as long as there are children starving, children without parents, children without any chance for education, there is something wrong and Liberia needs to admit that they need help. Hopefully social programs will develop to make international adoption a thing of the past. However, right now international adoption is the only chance many Liberian children have to simply live to grow up. Liberia cannot take care of her children right now. If these children truly are as precious to you as you say, why not give them the opportunity to be adopted and receive the food, medical care and education they so desperately need?
Until Liberia can take care of her children, her precious jewels, she should seek any available assistance offered whether through social programs, NGO assistance or international adoption.
What a disturbing piece of info this is? Just reading it few minutes ago, makes my flesh creep at how wicked people can be for a few dollars! Have we forgotten so quickly about the slave trade, and, the devasting effects it continues to have on us today? There are still a lot of people that today, are called "congor-people" in Liberia; and, "Aliens" in the United States; as a result of that era. Have we forgotten so early? Some of us can not forget, as, we have been called both of those names in Liberia, and here in the US. I hope these so-called 'orphanages/refuge homes' that are springing up all over the country, are genuinely meant to assist our young ones; and, not exploit them as in the past. Let us pray that those days are gone; and, anyone who wishes to reawaken them, must be dealt with according to the full strength of the Law. Thanks for the space allowed.
Child trafficking is a terrible thing and anyone participating in this crime should be prosecuted. However, we have adopted two of Liberia's precious jewels and we offer them education, shelter and food that was not so readily available in Liberia. Parents who are trying to do the best thing for their children, loving them enough to send them on to another country while Liberia is trying to rebuild a stronger nation, should not be scared by such horrendous articles. Our children came as teenagers to a family that was not "childless" only called by God to help Africa's precious jewels to survive! God help Liberia to be a strong nation that will live in peace!
While it may be nice to think that all the unregulated "adoption agencies" are simply sending these children to bring joy to rich childless couple in the developed world, it seems unlikely that this is the fate for the majority.
Many, I very much fear, are ending up exploited and prostituted.
We are an American family hoping to adopt a child and we are far from rich. We are just trying to follow God in caring for the orphans, the widows, and the strangers. We love children and will treat an adopted child as we do our own. It is hard for me to believe that any American families that go through extensive home-studies and background checks before adopting would be considered child-traffickers. It disturbs me to read an accusatory article of this nature, without all of the facts. Did the agency in question, simply misunderstand something. We may never know, but I also know after living in Zambia for a while to not believe the media. It is usually one-sided and not democratic. We in the US for some reason are always portrayed poorly and I am sick of it. We try to do good things as citizens and help others. Adoptive parents do not care whether a child is from another nationality or another continent. We consider all people of the world equal and created by our Lord. We all come from the same place and we are all brothers and sisters within this world. Although not ideal for a child to be taken out of it's home country, it is sometimes neccessary, so that the child does not have to grow up in an orphanage. We just want to give these children a family to grow up in and love.
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