03. 02. 10. - 13:00

SPÖ and Greens call for foreign adoption clarity

The Greens and the Social Democrats (SPÖ) yesterday (Tues) called for clear rules on adopting foreign children following the Haiti earthquake.

Greens’ family and constitution spokeswoman and MP Daniela Musiol said: "There must finally be a central agency in Austria for such adoptions."

She added that Austria had been slow in adopting clear rules in accord with international agreements.

Musiol claimed Austrians who adopted foreign children had a right to legal security over the adoptions.

SPÖ family spokeswoman Gabriele Binder-Maier also called for a central agency modelled on those in Scandinavia, saying that "there need to be unitary standards and procedures for all adoptions, especially those abroad, that guarantee protection of children."

She called on People’s Party (ÖVP) State Secretary for Families Christine Marek to act on the issue.

The comments came only days after Austrian SOS Kinderdorf (SOS Children’s Village) had warned of children being kidnapped in earthquake-devastated Haiti.

Charity official Georg Willeit, who is in Haiti, said on Sunday that there had been allegations of kidnappings of children in Haiti for weeks.

He added that SOS was opposed to "quick international adoptions" of Haitian children that did not take their family situations into account since many of them had parents or other relatives.

Ten US citizens who were trying to take 35 Haitian children across the Dominican-Haitian frontier without official permission were arrested on Saturday after officials rejected their claims the kids were orphans being taken to an orphanage in the Dominican Republic.

The Red Cross, Caritas, CARE charity, Licht für die Welt and the Agriculture Chamber have set up accounts for donations to help Haiti earthquake victims, which can be made to:

CARE: PSK 1.236.000 (BLZ 60.000) – password: "Haiti";

Caritas: PSK 7.700 004, (BLZ 60.000) – password: "Erdbeben Haiti",

Austrian Red Cross (Österreichisches Rotes Kreuz): PSK: 2.345.000 (BLZ 60.000) - password: "Erdbeben Haiti";

Licht für die Welt: PSK 92.011.650 (BLZ 60.000) – password: "Haiti-Aufbauhilfe";

Agriculture Chamber: PSK account 90.311.400 (BLZ 60.000).

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