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Madonna's adoption approved: EveryChild responds
12 Jun 2009
The Malawian High Court has ruled in favour of Madonna’s adoption appeal. Chifundo ‘Mercy’ James will now be adopted by Madonna. International charities and human rights organisations have reacted with concern.
Anna Feuchtwang, Chief Executive of EveryChild, said:
“High profile adoptions such as this send out the wrong message. This is especially worrying in the case of Malawi because it has not ratified the Hague Convention. The concern is that the adoption ruling could attract the attention of unscrupulous adoption agencies and potential child traffickers.
It is a shame that so much emphasis has been placed on a celebrity, rather than the work being done in Malawi to support vulnerable families to stay together. In Malawi there is a tradition of extended families caring for children who have been orphaned and the Malawian government, with the support of international donors, must invest more in family social support and even cash benefits to help families stay together.”
Please contact Chloe Kay, Senior Media & PR Officer at EveryChild for further information and to arrange interviews:
chloe.kay@everychild.org.uk
0207 749 3072
mob: 07894 554 838
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