Brazil Baby Affair

A report issued by a State commission in February 2021 concludes that, in intercountry adoption cases from Brazil, the government of the Netherlands was aware of misdeeds in adoptions and the role of Dutch diplomats stationed in Brazil therein but did nothing about them and allowed them to continue.
 
A final court ruling in November 2021 concluded that, by doing so, the Netherlands acted in violation of the victim’s right to identity and knowledge of his parentage. The court therefore ruled that the State is liable for the damage that he has suffered as a result.
 
Three months later, one day before the deadline to lodge appeal, the Netherlands subpoenaed the victim of crimes instigated by a diplomat from the Netherlands stationed in Brazil for the court of appeals.

Whereas, according to the United Nations, the Netherlands should enforce claims from victims of illegal intercountry adoption for recognition and reparation, according to the Dutch Justice Minister victims have no right to enforcement of a final court ruling.

Furthermore, whereas, according to the United Nations, victims of illegal intercountry adoption have the right to full and public disclosure of the truth provided by the government, pursuant legal actions of the Dutch government, victims should be held to a duty of confidentiality concerning the responsibility and role of the Netherlands in illegal intercountry adoption practises.

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UPDATE: 21 May 2024 the court of appeals in the Hague ruled that the State of the Netherlands is not liable in this case. For more information, see the court’s press release (in Dutch).

The government of the Netherlands instigated an independent commission in April 2019 to look into international abuses after legal procedures showed that the Dutch government had been involved in illegal adoption from Brazil, and pointed to the possibility of more such cases.
The report issued by the state commission in February 2021, said it had found systematic wrongdoing, including pressuring poor women to give up their babies, falsifying documents, engaging in fraud and corruption, and, in effect, buying and selling children. In cases from Brazil, the Dutch government was aware of misdeeds in adoptions and the role of Dutch diplomats stationed in Brazil therein, but did nothing about them and allowed them to continue. The report also concluded that the role of Dutch diplomats was deliberately left out of the 1984 report of the Dutch police investigation into illegal intercountry adoptions from Brazil.

For the full report, click here.

For the summary of the report, click here.

For the Speech by Minister Dekker upon receipt of the report (DUTCH ONLY), click here.

10 August 2019 – LLM Thesis defended by Patrick Noordoven for the School of Law, University of Brasília, as per prerequisite to obtain the Masters in Law title. «This Thesis is dedicated to all persons who are deprived of their right to identity through intercountry adoption. You all deserve access to your origins, as recognized by human rights law and jurisprudence.»

To access the Thesis, click here.

6 December 2018 – After years of demanding information from the Dutch State about illegal intercountry adoption practices from Brazil, the Justice Minister sent a letter to parliament in which the government announces to instigate an external committee to investigate illegal intercountry adoption in the past. The committee’s mandate comprises the facts and the role of the Dutch government in respect to these adoptions. 

For more information (DUTCH ONLY), click here.

On Saturday 18 November 2017 our founder Patrick Noordoven gave a presentation at the Conférence: Dérives dans l’adoption, hosted by La Voix des Adoptés and Born in Lebanon in Paris, France. His presentation was titled “La recherche des familles”.

The presentation made reference to the following two short video clips from 1982; a Dutch TV report explaining the illegal adoption procedure and an interview with Cathia Seeder, providing further insights into the procedures.

The French translation of Patrick’s article “PROMISING PRACTICE: RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT FALSE BIRTH REGISTRATION PRACTICES, KNOWN AS THE BRAZIL BABY AFFAIR” for the ISS publication “Responding to illegal adoptions: A Professional Handbook” was presented at the conference to provide further insights into the issue.

Download the article in Spanish
Download the article in English.
Download the article in French.

On Friday 10 June our founder Patrick Noordoven gave a presentation at the 9th Biennial Adoption Conference “Myth and Reality in Adoption: Transforming Practice Through Lessons Learned” at Montclair State University in Montclair, New Jersey, USA. He contributed to the conference track ‘Adoption Policy and Practice’ and focused his presentation on the topic of “The Human Right to Identity and Intercountry Adoption: False Birth Registration Practices Known as the Brazil Baby Affair”.

Leia mais sobre o evento aqui.

Desde os anos de 1970, muitas crianças de países em desenvolvimento foram adotadas por pessoas estrangeiras, algumas delas, de forma ilegal. No Brasil, o pico das adoções feitas por estrangeiros foi na década de 1980. Estes bebês são agora adultos, e muitos estão tentando encontrar suas famílias biológicas no Brasil.

A reporter de radio Katy Sherriff acompanhou Louisa em sua busca para descobrir suas origens no Brasil com a ajuda da ONG Brazil Baby Affair.

Ouça a gravação da reportagem em inglês aqui.

Programa de reportagem de TV holandesa “Achter het Nieuws” de 22 de fevereiro de 1982 – Cathia Seeder dá um vislumbre do procedimento de adoção ilegal e denuncia o envolvimento do Estado Holandês nos casos de adoção ilegal. Seeder confessa, posteriormente, ter sido uma “cúmplice auxiliar” para a privação do direito à identidade nos casos de adoção ilegal holandeses, alemães, suecos e norte-americanos; fonte: Relatório da Polícia Holandesa 1984. Você pode assistir ao vídeo aqui.

Na terça-feira à noite 24 de março a ONG organizou um evento em São Paulo. Leia mais sobre o evento aqui.

Reportagem da TV holandesa “Achter het Nieuws” 22 de fevereiro 1982 – Advogada de direitos humanos Lia Junqueira, do Movimento em Defesa do Menor, defendeu os direitos dos bebês brasileiros que foram traficadas para adoção internacional ilegal. Inclusive o testemunho de Antônio Chaves, juiz no tribunal juvenil de São Paulo. Você pode assistir o vídeo aqui.

No dia 10 de fevereiro, um advogado suíço, um defensor dos direitos humanos brasileiro e uma documentarista dos EUA compartilharam suas experiências sobre o Direito à Identidade. Leia mais sobre o evento aqui.

Reportagem da TV holandesa “Achter het Nieuws” 22 de fevereiro 1982 – A cena explica o procedimento de adoção ilegal. Você pode assistir o vídeo aqui.

Estamos orgulhosos em apresentar nosso site em português brasileiro para vocês!

“Tráfico infantil com a ajuda do Estado” – Funcionário público holandês sabia sobre o contrabando de bebês e ‘estavam envolvidos em adoções ilegais’. Leia os artigos no De Telegraaf.

Leia os artigos no De Telegraaf ou em português.

Em 19 de setembro de 2014, nosso fundador, Patrick Noordoven falou no Hague Talks. Nós estamos compartilhado seu discurso e o vídeo do evento.

Com o lançamento público da ONG, um comunicado foi enviado no dia 19 de setembro de 2014.