Interview by Valérie de Graffenried/Le Temps – The disappearances of new born babies for the purpose of illegal adoption in certain Eastern countries worries Ruth-Gaby Vermot who undertook an investigation of the subject over a two year period. The report by the former Socialist MP from Berne was adopted (last month) by the parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg.

When you went to Ukraine and Moldavia to investigate the disappearances of new born babies, what struck you the most?

I collected testimony that was extremely overwhelming and painful. In 2002, in Ukraine, the mothers assured me they had given birth to perfectly healthy babies who were taken from them immediately after birth. In the Hospital at Kharkov, the doctors told them that the babies had died but not one of these women was able to see the body of their infant on the grounds that they would be traumatized or that the corpse had already been buried. One women in Kiev, was presented by a doctor with the body of a 6-month old boy while she had given birth to a girl. These parents filed complaints without success.

But how can you be sure that these babies were taken for the purpose of adoption?

This is the most probably thesis because the international adoption market has been in existence for a long time. Other rumors continue to circulate. One NGO claimed that infants had been used for the purpose of trafficking in organs but the organs of new-borns cannot be used for organ transplants. Others claim that the foetus or the baby is used in testing pharmaceuticals. In this matter, the only thing that is certain is that new born babies are disappearing. For me, it is primordial that the parents have the right to see their baby, dead or alive, immediately after its birth.

And you found the same phenomenon in Moldavia?

The situation is different. There, strong pressure is brought on single and poor women to abandon their babies to orphanages. And the result is likely adoption because mothers who would like to see their babies later have learned that they already had other parents. I also saw advertisements in newspapers calling on women to sell their infants for 3,000 euros. This is catastrophic. The state must defend the parents and the infants. In 2006, 61 cases of trafficked infants were brought to justice and five cases of illegally taking infants out of the country were enumerated.

This practice was explained to me while I was investigating 47 young men in the country who had sold their kidneys for illegal transplant. Trafficking in babies also exists in Bulgaria. The case of 22 trafficked Bulgarian women who gave birth in France so their babies could be sold with the middlemen pocketing 5,000 euros for the girls, 6,000 for the boys – also crushes your spirit. This gave rise to a legal process. Romania is now a bit less concerned by these practices. In 2005 it imposed a moratorium on international adoptions while working on more effective laws.

Precisely. So what are you seeking in order to avoid this type of trafficking?

The right of parents to immediately see their child is very important. Babies must also be registered at birth, something that is not often the case in Eastern countries. We want these countries to review their laws and to adopt very strict measures in matters of national and international adoption. Also that they ratify the Convention on Human Trafficking. But for me, new legislation is not sufficient. Justice must investigate each case brought before it. The victims must receive clear explanations and know what has really happened. These women are traumatized. I remember one woman where one of her twins ‘mysteriously’ disappeared two days after birth, supposedly dead due to a mal formation. The doctor was able to prove, through ultrasound, that the twins were viable and in perfect health. This woman is now is a state of extreme depression. She constantly searches for her second child, whom she knows is alive.

Are these countries truly ready to bring an end to such practices?

I have received promises, notably from the Health Minister and the General Prosecutor in Ukraine. But up to now, nothing has really been done. I am fighting to the end for these victims.

Would a freeze on adoptions in these countries be a good way to bring pressure?

I don’t think so. But adoptions must be more transparent and controlled and above all to conform with the norms outlined in the convention that regulates international adoptions. Adoptive parents must go through trusted organizations and demonstrate that are following procedures. With the opening of borders to the East, the phenomenon of women coming to give birth abroad and give their child up for adoption is increasing.

For these reasons should Switzerland fear extending freedom of movement to people from Romania and Bulgaria?

No but one must be vigilant. These women are selling their children because they are poor and in order to live. And in Europe, many parents are prepared to spend money to satisfy their desire for children. It is a vicious cycle. Switzerland must therefore control its own system for international adoption and do everything to fight against the trafficking in humans. It must be much more active than it is today.

Meaning what?

Switzerland must finally ratify the European Council’s convention on trafficking in humans and assure protection to its victims, including women who dare not bring a complaint for fear of retaliation. But the current climate is actually an inverse tendancy: everything is being done so that getting into Switzerland becomes as unattractive as possible.

Translated from French by Pamela Taylor