Latest news with #childrights
Malay Mail
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Malay Mail
South Korea's adoption overhaul: Government takes charge, closing a ‘shameful chapter'
SEOUL, July 18 — South Korea is set to overhaul its adoption system on Saturday by ending the decades-old practice of outsourcing adoptions to private agencies, which has led to widespread allegations of abuse. South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse, sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. But an official enquiry concluded this year that the international adoption process had been riddled with irregularities, including 'fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering, and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents'. The rights of South Korean children had been violated, the landmark investigation by a truth commission found. The independent body established by the state called for an official apology and blamed the government for the issues, especially a failure to regulate adoption fees that effectively turned it into a profit-driven industry. On Saturday, South Korea will introduce a 'newly restructured public adoption system, under which the state and local governments take full responsibility for the entire adoption process,' South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare said. The change is a 'significant step towards ensuring the safety and promoting the rights of adopted children,' the ministry added. 'Shameful part' of history International adoption began after the Korean War as a way to remove mixed-race children, born to Korean mothers and American soldier fathers, from a country that emphasised ethnic homogeneity. It became big business in the 1970s to 1980s, bringing international adoption agencies millions of dollars as South Korea overcame post-war poverty and faced rapid and aggressive economic development. But the system failed children, the truth commission said in March, with a failure to follow 'proper legal consent procedures' for South Korean birth parents resulting in highly-publicised reports of lost children being put up for overseas adoption. The commission's chairperson Park Sun-young said at the time it was a 'shameful part' of South Korea's history. Under the new system, key procedures — such as assessing prospective adoptive parents and matching them with children — will be deliberated by a ministry committee, in accordance with the principle of the 'best interests of the child'. Previously, this had been done by major adoption agencies, with minimal oversight from the state. 'With this restructuring of the public adoption system, the state now takes full responsibility for ensuring the safety and rights of all adopted children,' said Kim Sang-hee, director of population and child policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Activists, however, say the measure should be merely a starting point and warn it is far from sufficient. 'While I think it's high time that Korea close down all private adoption agencies, I don't believe... having the state handle new adoptions is enough,' said writer Lisa Wool-Rim Sjoblom, a Korean adoptee who grew up in Sweden. The government should prioritise implementing the findings of the truth commission, issue an official apology, and work to help the tens of thousands of Koreans who were sent abroad for adoption, she told AFP. 'The government urgently needs to acknowledge all the human rights violations it enabled, encouraged, and systematically participated in, and, as soon as possible, begin reparations.' — AFP
CNA
18-07-2025
- Politics
- CNA
South Korea to end private adoptions after landmark probe
SEOUL: South Korea is set to overhaul its adoption system on Saturday (Jul 19) by ending the decades-old practice of outsourcing adoptions to private agencies, which has led to widespread allegations of abuse. South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse, sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. But an official enquiry concluded this year that the international adoption process had been riddled with irregularities, including "fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents". The rights of South Korean children had been violated, the landmark investigation by a truth commission found. The independent body established by the state called for an official apology and blamed the government for the issues, especially a failure to regulate adoption fees that effectively turned it into a profit-driven industry. On Saturday, South Korea will introduce a "newly restructured public adoption system, under which the state and local governments take full responsibility for the entire adoption process", South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare said. The change is a "significant step towards ensuring the safety and promoting the rights of adopted children", the ministry added. "SHAMEFUL PART" OF HISTORY International adoption began after the Korean War as a way to remove mixed-race children, born to Korean mothers and American soldier fathers, from a country that emphasised ethnic homogeneity. It became big business in the 1970s to 1980s, bringing international adoption agencies millions of dollars as South Korea overcame post-war poverty and faced rapid and aggressive economic development. But the system failed children, the truth commission said in March, with a failure to follow "proper legal consent procedures" for South Korean birth parents resulting in highly-publicised reports of lost children being put up for overseas adoption. The commission's chairperson Park Sun-young said at the time it was a "shameful part" of South Korea's history. Under the new system, key procedures, such as assessing prospective adoptive parents and matching them with children, will be deliberated by a ministry committee, in accordance with the principle of the "best interests of the child". Previously, this had been done by major adoption agencies, with minimal oversight from the state. "With this restructuring of the public adoption system, the state now takes full responsibility for ensuring the safety and rights of all adopted children," said Kim Sang-hee, director of population and child policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Activists, however, say the measure should be merely a starting point and warn it is far from sufficient. "While I think it's high time that Korea close down all private adoption agencies, I don't believe ... having the state handle new adoptions is enough," said writer Lisa Wool-rim Sjoblom, a Korean adoptee who grew up in Sweden. The government should prioritise implementing the findings of the truth commission, issue an official apology and work to help the tens of thousands of Koreans who were sent abroad for adoption, she told AFP.
News.com.au
18-07-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
South Korea to end private adoptions after landmark probe
South Korea is set to overhaul its adoption system on Saturday by ending the decades-old practice of outsourcing adoptions to private agencies, which has led to widespread allegations of abuse. South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse, sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. But an official enquiry concluded this year that the international adoption process had been riddled with irregularities, including "fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering, and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents". The rights of South Korean children had been violated, the landmark investigation by a truth commission found. The independent body established by the state called for an official apology and blamed the government for the issues, especially a failure to regulate adoption fees that effectively turned it into a profit-driven industry. On Saturday, South Korea will introduce a "newly restructured public adoption system, under which the state and local governments take full responsibility for the entire adoption process," South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare said. The change is a "significant step towards ensuring the safety and promoting the rights of adopted children," the ministry added. - 'Shameful part' of history - International adoption began after the Korean War as a way to remove mixed-race children, born to Korean mothers and American soldier fathers, from a country that emphasised ethnic homogeneity. It became big business in the 1970s to 1980s, bringing international adoption agencies millions of dollars as South Korea overcame post-war poverty and faced rapid and aggressive economic development. But the system failed children, the truth commission said in March, with a failure to follow "proper legal consent procedures" for South Korean birth parents resulting in highly-publicised reports of lost children being put up for overseas adoption. The commission's chairperson Park Sun-young said at the time it was a "shameful part" of South Korea's history. Under the new system, key procedures -- such as assessing prospective adoptive parents and matching them with children -- will be deliberated by a ministry committee, in accordance with the principle of the "best interests of the child". Previously, this had been done by major adoption agencies, with minimal oversight from the state. "With this restructuring of the public adoption system, the state now takes full responsibility for ensuring the safety and rights of all adopted children," said Kim Sang-hee, director of population and child policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Activists, however, say the measure should be merely a starting point and warn it is far from sufficient. "While I think it's high time that Korea close down all private adoption agencies, I don't believe... having the state handle new adoptions is enough," said writer Lisa Wool-Rim Sjoblom, a Korean adoptee who grew up in Sweden. The government should prioritise implementing the findings of the truth commission, issue an official apology, and work to help the tens of thousands of Koreans who were sent abroad for adoption, she told AFP. "The government urgently needs to acknowledge all the human rights violations it enabled, encouraged, and systematically participated in, and, as soon as possible, begin reparations." hs/ceb/rsc
France 24
18-07-2025
- Politics
- France 24
South Korea to end private adoptions after landmark probe
South Korea, Asia's fourth-largest economy and a global cultural powerhouse, sent more than 140,000 children overseas between 1955 and 1999. But an official enquiry concluded this year that the international adoption process had been riddled with irregularities, including "fraudulent orphan registrations, identity tampering, and inadequate vetting of adoptive parents". The rights of South Korean children had been violated, the landmark investigation by a truth commission found. The independent body established by the state called for an official apology and blamed the government for the issues, especially a failure to regulate adoption fees that effectively turned it into a profit-driven industry. On Saturday, South Korea will introduce a "newly restructured public adoption system, under which the state and local governments take full responsibility for the entire adoption process," South Korea's Ministry of Health and Welfare said. The change is a "significant step towards ensuring the safety and promoting the rights of adopted children," the ministry added. 'Shameful part' of history International adoption began after the Korean War as a way to remove mixed-race children, born to Korean mothers and American soldier fathers, from a country that emphasised ethnic homogeneity. It became big business in the 1970s to 1980s, bringing international adoption agencies millions of dollars as South Korea overcame post-war poverty and faced rapid and aggressive economic development. But the system failed children, the truth commission said in March, with a failure to follow "proper legal consent procedures" for South Korean birth parents resulting in highly-publicised reports of lost children being put up for overseas adoption. The commission's chairperson Park Sun-young said at the time it was a "shameful part" of South Korea's history. Under the new system, key procedures -- such as assessing prospective adoptive parents and matching them with children -- will be deliberated by a ministry committee, in accordance with the principle of the "best interests of the child". Previously, this had been done by major adoption agencies, with minimal oversight from the state. "With this restructuring of the public adoption system, the state now takes full responsibility for ensuring the safety and rights of all adopted children," said Kim Sang-hee, director of population and child policy at the Ministry of Health and Welfare. Activists, however, say the measure should be merely a starting point and warn it is far from sufficient. "While I think it's high time that Korea close down all private adoption agencies, I don't believe... having the state handle new adoptions is enough," said writer Lisa Wool-Rim Sjoblom, a Korean adoptee who grew up in Sweden. The government should prioritise implementing the findings of the truth commission, issue an official apology, and work to help the tens of thousands of Koreans who were sent abroad for adoption, she told AFP. "The government urgently needs to acknowledge all the human rights violations it enabled, encouraged, and systematically participated in, and, as soon as possible, begin reparations." © 2025 AFP
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Lawyer who defended depraved surgeon dubbed France's worst paedophile 'kills himself' weeks after his 'devil in a white coat' client was jailed for raping 298 patients
A lawyer who defended a surgeon dubbed France 's worst paedophile has died in an apparent suicide, a prosecutor said on Wednesday. Maxime Tessier, 34, represented the disgraced Joel Le Scouarnec, 74, who confessed at his trial to sexually assaulting or raping 298 patients between 1989 and 2014, many of them children. Everything points to suicide,' Frederic Teillet, chief prosecutor in the western French city of Rennes, said of the lawyer's death, adding that an investigation had been opened. Tessier, a father of two young children, 'had a very high regard for justice and was therefore very demanding towards himself', said Catherine Glon, his associate. 'We are obviously in shock', she added. He was one of two lawyers defending Le Scouarnec, one of the most infamous sex predators in French criminal history. Child rights advocates say the case had highlighted systemic failures that allowed Le Scouarnec to repeatedly commit sexual crimes. A prosecutor in the case called the former doctor 'the devil... dressed in a white coat'. He abused many victims while they were under anaesthesia or waking up after operations. A French court sentenced Le Scouarnec to 20 years in prison in May. His offences took place between 1989 and 2014, while other alleged crimes were not prosecute because they happened too long ago. During a three-month trial held in Vannes, the court heard how Le Scourarnec mainly abused patients while they were still under anaesthetic or slowly waking up following operations. Thomas Delaby, a barrister representing one of his victims, told Le Scourarnec he is 'the worst mass paedophile who ever lived' and 'an atomic bomb of paedophilia. Your victims will never forgive you'. Speaking just before the verdict, Le Scourarnec said: 'I'm not asking the court for leniency. Simply grant me the right to become a better person.' The defendant also explained how he had caused the the deaths of at least two of his victims. Le Scouarnec said: 'I am responsible for the deaths of Mathis Vinet, who died after an overdose in 2021' and Alan Roux, who was found hanged at his home in 2020. Lawyer Tessier, asked the court at the time to take into account the 'exceptional' nature of the surgeon's confession. In turn, prosecutors who had heard Le Scouarnec described as 'France's worst ever paedophile' said he was 'a devil' and there was 'a very high risk' of him re-offending if ever allowed out of his cell. Stéphane Kellenberger, the Attorney General, said his proven crimes were committed against 158 males and 141 females, with an average age of 11. Le Scouarnec had also kept a record of his crimes, documenting the victims' names, ages, addresses and the nature of the abuse. In his notes, the doctor described himself as a 'major pervert' and a 'paedophile'. 'And I am very happy about it,' he recorded. People demonstrated with posters reading 'No excuse for abuses', left, and 'How many more?', right, ahead of the verdict in the trial of Joel Le Scouarnec The graphic details allowed the police to track down his victims as most had no memory of the abuse as they were still unconscious. The verdict said the jury came to their decision after taking 'into account that the acts committed are of particular gravity due to the number of victims, their young age and the compulsive nature' of the crimes. Requesting a 'maximum possible sentence of twenty years' for Le Scouarnec, Mr Kellenberger said there needed to be 'additional security measures,' because of the danger Le Scourarnec still posed. The surgeon practised for decades until his retirement in 2017, despite a 2005 sentence for owning sexually abusive images of children. His wife, Marie-France Le Scouarnec, was also portrayed as a ruthless accomplice, while denying any wrongdoing. She spent her days taking lovers and going to aqua-aerobics, while her once highly respected surgeon husband repeatedly attacked children, it was alleged. Ms Le Scouarnec, the mother of his three sons, lived with him throughout that time, and has always denied knowing what he was doing. His wife, Marie-France Le Scouarnec, was also portrayed as a ruthless accomplice, while denying any wrongdoing But Patrick Le Scouarnec, the 70-year-old brother of the defendant, told the court that she was being untruthful. 'There is another person who could have ensured that my brother was arrested – it is his wife, Marie-France,' said Mr Le Scouarnec. Victims of Le Scouarnec have also accused Ms Le Scouarnec of covering up his 'paedocriminal activities' for decades. Ms Le Scouarnec said: 'I wondered how I could have not noticed anything. It's a terrible betrayal that he committed against me and my children.'
