Police has revealed that it has picked interest in the alleged illegal child adoption schemes that have reportedly happened in some parts of Uganda where children are being sold off to unsuspecting foster familes abroad.
Police spokesperson Asan Kasingye on Monday told journalists that an investigation is going to be lodged to establish how many more of such cases have occurred and those behind these dealings.
U.S based television network CNN unearthed findings of an investigation in which two Ugandan children were adopted by white families at a cost of USD 15,000 each based on falsified documents. According to CNN, agents made pitches to poor parents in rural parts of Uganda claiming they had opportunities to have their children acquire education abroad.
Through European Adoption Consultants, Inc, (EAC) an adoption agency, potential foster parents would be deceived to believe that the children were either orphans or abandoned by their parents.
One of the children identified as Namata was adopted by an American couple in 2015 but a year later, they learnt from the child that her mother hadn’t abandoned her as the adoption paperwork claimed.
Jessica Davis and her husband found Namata at God’s Mercy Orphanage which is suspected to have connived with the local agents to ‘sell’ off these children. In September 2016, Namata was brought back to Uganda and handed back to the mother who also got her parental rights.
Viola, another child from Uganda was ‘adopted’ by another American couple Stacy Wales and her husband Shawn in a similar way but gladly, she too was reunited with her mother in 2016.
The same CNN investigation reported that 3 of Viola’s siblings were also adopted by America foster parents who are not willing to reunite them with the mother.
CNN’s investigation discovered that multiple families have been duped using this very fraudulent process and there could be many more Ugandan children that have been trafficked without their parents’ consent.
Police spokesperson said; “We want to know how many more cases are out there and who is responsible.”
“This is something Ugandans mist not keep quiet about. A parent gives up their child thinking that by going abroad, they are getting good care, not knowing that by law they have ceased to be parents,” Kasingye said referring to how unsuspecting parents are hoodwinked to surrendering their kids.
Kasingye did not reveal how far the investigation has gone or whether there are any leads so far.
CNN revealed that the said orphanage (God’s Mercy Orphanage) is nolonger operational after it was closed for operating illegally.
“These are things we should find out and fight,” the Police spokesperson said.