MEDIA: Voice of America - UNICEF Concern Prompts Cambodian Investigation of Orphanages

UNICEF Concern Prompts Cambodian Investigation of Orphanages

Robert Carmichael March 23, 2011 Phnom Penh

The Cambodian government has begun investigating the country’s orphanages; just days after the United Nations Children's Fund expressed its concerns that nearly three out of four children in the country's orphanages have at least one living parent.

Earlier this week, UNICEF said most of the 12,000 children in Cambodia’s orphanages are, in fact, not orphans. Nearly three-quarters of them have one living parent, yet the number of children in care has more than doubled in five years.

UNICEF said the number of orphanage centers has nearly doubled, to 269 facilities in the same period.

Just 21 of those are run by the government. The rest are funded and run by foreign donors and faith-based organizations.

Full article: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/asia/southeast/UNICEF-Concern-Prompts-Cambodian-Investigation-of-Orphanages-118493469.html


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Media Coverage of US DOS Visit to Cambodia

The following stories were published today concerning the visit by US Department of State officials to Cambodia



Voice of America: US Maintains Ban on Cambodian Adoptions

Chun Sakada, VOA Khmer | Phnom Penh Friday, 18 March 2011

A US envoy for children’s issues declined to lift a ban on US adoptions from Cambodia Friday, despite the 2009 passage of an adoption law, officials said.

The US banned adoptions from Cambodia in 2001, after allegations that mothers were being paid to give up their children to adoption agencies.

Susan Jacobs, the US Ambassador for Children’s Issues, told Cambodian officials the country had made improvements in children’s protection.

But after her two-day fact-finding mission, the US Embassy said in a statement, “The United States has not set a date for resumption of inter-country adoption with Cambodia.”

Full Story: http://www.voanews.com/khmer-english/news/US-Maintains-Ban-on-Cambodian-Adoptions-118241639.html

DAP News: US Adoption Official Visits Cambodia

Friday, 18 March 2011 07:53 By Virak Va

Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs visited Cambodia March 17-18 for fact finding meetings on inter-country adoptions, the statement from US embassy here on Friday.

It added: ambassador Jacobs met with Cambodian government officials and representatives from other embassies to discuss the state of implementation of prakas and level of compliance to the Hague convention on adoptions. The United States looks forward to working with the Cambodian government as it establishes a child welfare system and will review carefully the implementing regulations related to the new law on inter-country adoptions as they are issued.

“We recommend the Royal Government of Cambodia for their accomplishments to date in increasing protection for vulnerable children. The United States has not set a date for resumption of inter country adoption with Cambodia,” the statement said.

Full Story: http://www.dap-news.com/en/news/4075-us-adoption-official-visits-cambodia.html


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Special Advisor for Children's Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs' Travel to Cambodia and Vietnam

Media Note

Office of the Spokesman

Washington, DC

March 14, 2011

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Special Advisor for Children’s Issues Ambassador Susan Jacobs will visit Cambodia and Vietnam March 16 – 23 for meetings on intercountry adoptions.

In Cambodia, she will meet with government officials and non-governmental adoption stakeholders to discuss how the United States can work together with the Cambodian government to further support Cambodia’s efforts to fully implement a new law on intercountry adoption. Adoption from Cambodia was suspended in 2001.

In Vietnam, Ambassador Jacobs will meet with government officials to discuss Vietnam’s stated goal of acceding to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The United States welcomes Vietnam’s strong efforts to create a child welfare system and an intercountry adoption process that will meet its obligations under the Convention. The processing of adoptions for Vietnam was suspended in 2008.

For more information about intercountry adoption in Cambodia and Vietnam, visit:
http://adoption.state.gov

For updates on Special Advisor Susan Jacobs’ trip, follow her on twitter: http://twitter.com/childrensissues

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2011/03/158333.htm

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What All Adoptions Deserve.
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