Russia to suspend adoptions of Russian children by US parents?

[Steel]

http://www.rte.ie/news/2010/0410/russia.html

Russia has said it plans to suspend adoptions of its children by US citizens after an American woman sent her adopted son back to Moscow on a plane with a note disowning him.

Artyom Savelyev, 7, arrived alone at a Moscow airport on Tuesday with a typed letter asking the Russian government to annul the adoption on the grounds that the child was mentally unstable, officials said.

President Dmitry Medvedev denounced the episode as a ''monstrous deed'', and called for an agreement with US authorities laying down American parents'' duties in such cases and creating a system to monitor the children''s treatment.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov went one step further, saying US adoptions of Russian children would be halted until such a deal was reached.

''The way he was treated was beyond immoral,'' Lavrov said in an interview with state-run news channel Rossiya-24.

''We have made a decision that the Foreign Ministry will insist on freezing all adoptions by US families until Russia and the US sign an interstate treaty setting out adoption terms.''

Russia is the third largest source of foreign adoptions to the United States with 1,586 in 2009, according to the US State Department.

Artyom was adopted from an orphanage in Russia''s Far East in 2009.

After six months, his adoptive mother decided he was not fitting in and bought him a one-way ticket to Moscow.

''The child is mentally unstable. He is violent and has severe psychopathic issues. I was lied to and misled by the Russian orphanage,'' said the note, which was shown on Russian television.

''For the safety of my family, friends and myself, I no longer wish to parent this child.''

Television pictures showed the fair-haired Artyom nervously waving at a line of cameras.

He was undergoing tests at a Moscow hospital on Friday as authorities considered who would take care of him, officials said.

Mr Medvedev said Artyom ''fell into a very bad family''.

''It is a monstrous deed on the part of his adoptive parents... (It) is not only immoral but also against the law,'' Mr Medvedev told ABC News.

''We should understand what is going on with our children, or we will totally refrain from the practice of adopting Russian children by American adoptive parents.''

In Washington, State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said the US government was ''obviously very troubled'' by the case, but hoped that it would not preclude future adoptions.

''If Russia chooses to suspend these adoptions, these are Russian citizens, that is Russia''s right. We would like to see these adoptions continue but we understand the concern that Russia has, we share that concern,'' he told a news briefing.

 

[galeteia]

The other side:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100410/ap_on_re_us/us_russia_adopted_boy

Grandmother: Boy terrorized adoptive family in US

By KRISTIN M. HALL, Associated Press Writers Kristin M. Hall, Associated Press Writers – 2 hrs 3 mins ago

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. – Torry Hansen was so eager to become a mother that she adopted an older child from a foreign country, two factors that scare off many prospective parents. Her bigger fears came later.

Torry's mother, Nancy Hansen, said the 7-year-old's violent episodes — which culminated in a threat to burn the family's home to the ground — terrified them into a shocking solution: The boy they renamed Justin was put on a plane by himself and sent back to Russia.

Now, outraged officials in that country are calling for a halt to adoptions by Americans, and authorities are investigating the family. However, Nancy Hansen told The Associated Press that the motives of her daughter — a 33-year-old, unmarried nurse — were sincere.

"The intent of my daughter was to have a family and the intent of my whole family was to love that child," she said Friday.

The family was told the boy, whose Russian name is Artyom Savelyev, was healthy in September when he was brought from the town of Partizansk in Russia's Far East to his new home in the heart of Tennessee horse country. The skinny boy seemed happy, but the behavioral problems began soon after, Hansen said.

"The Russian orphanage officials completely lied to her because they wanted to get rid of him," she said.

Hansen chronicled a list of problems: hitting, screaming and spitting at his mother and threatening to kill family members. Hansen said his eruptions were often sparked when he was denied something he wanted, like toys or video games.

"He drew a picture of our house burning down and he'll tell anybody that he's going to burn our house down with us in it," she said. "It got to be where you feared for your safety. It was terrible."

Hansen said she thought that with their love, they could help him. "I was wrong," she said.

Adoption experts say many families are blinded by their desire to adopt and don't always understand what the orphans have sometimes endured — especially older children who may have been neglected or abandoned.

"They're not prepared to appreciate, psychologically, the kinds of conditions these kids have been exposed to and the effect it has had on them," said Joseph LaBarbera, a clinical psychologist at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.

Hansen said her daughter sought advice from psychologists but never had her adoptive son meet with one. They chose an English-language home study program, hoping to enroll him in traditional school in the fall. He would play with his cousin, Logan, at the family's property in Shelbyville, where there is a large backyard and a swingset.

In February, Hansen said, the family could take no more. The boy flew into a rage, snatched a 3-pound statue and tried to attack his aunt with it. Hansen said he was apparently upset after his aunt asked him to correct math problems on his school work.

Hansen bought the plane ticket, and the family arranged to pay a man in Russia $200 to take him from the airport and drop him off at the Russian education ministry. He arrived alone Thursday on a United Airlines flight from Washington.

With him was a note that read, in part: "After giving my best to this child, I am sorry to say that for the safety of my family, friends, and myself, I no longer wish to parent this child."

The family, meanwhile, has rejected the Kremlin's sharp criticism and any notion that the boy was simply abandoned.

The Russian education ministry immediately suspended the license of the group involved in the adoption — the World Association for Children and Parents, a Renton, Washington-based agency — for the duration of an investigation.

Bedford County Sheriff Randall Boyce said it was not clear whether any laws had been broken.

"This is extremely unusual," Boyce said. "I don't think anyone has seen something like this before."

___

 

[elle_chris]

I have no doubt that this was a troubled kid. But I have to wonder if she would have done the same thing had he been hers biologically. Somehow, I doubt it.

I think the story is disgusting. She can cry all she wants about his violent outbursts and threats, (but I don''t see any mention that he''s actually hurt anyone), however to send a seven year old kid on a plane back to Russia? That''s beyond ridiculous and cruel.

Aren''t there laws that protect kids from parents abandoning them? Why isn''t she under investigation for what she did??

 

[PumpkinPie]

this is a very sad situation

 

[Aloros]

This just makes me so sad for that boy. I feel like this lady went into the adoption with a lot of naivete, and without considering what this boy might have been through. Why oh why would she just seek the advice of psychologists and not actually meet with them? Why not get the kid into some regular counseling?

Six months is not enough time to address this boy''s issues, or even to make a decent go of things. Instead, she''s probably added to his problems.

 

[swingirl]

The whole story is wacky. I thought with a foreign adoption you need visit the country and spend time with the child for a few weeks before they let you take him home. I get the feeling they never met. I don't think the adoption was handled well on the Russian side. The adoptive parents should always be aware of the history of the child. Not everyone is prepared or able to take care of a child with severe mental or physical disabilities. In the US it is unlikely that a child with severe mental illness would be up for adoption. They would be living in a facility where they could receive medication, therapy and not be a threat to themselves or others.

The mother probably did not explore all her options for her son and probably should never have adopted any child in the first place. Maybe this is why she choose foreign adoption. Her abilities and commitment weren't scrutinized.

My guess is the child only spoke Russian and meeting with a therapist would be pointless. Poor guy must have been very frustrated.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I'm so torn by this story. I really feel there's a lot more to it than what's being presented by the media and I don't think she should be villainized in this way until all the facts come out.

I believe, as an RN she had the knowledge and resources to seek help for the situation. She should known the chances were good that she would have ended up with a child with some sort of mental issues, which are very common in older adopted children and EXTREMELY commen in children adopted from Eastern Europe and Russia. As an RN, while not an expert, she should have been able to identify an attachment disorder or other socio- or psychopathic traits in the child. Things that possibly could have been remedied with professional help.

But that's one of the more empty areas of the story. Other than a vague reference to contacting a child psychologist, what steps did she take to seek help when he started to display this behavior? Did she take any at all and if not, why?

It's so easy to yell and scream and say she's a monster and abandoned this child, but what good would she be to him when she dies in a fire he sets? I don't think sending the child back to Russia was necessarily the right choice, but assuming she exhausted all other options, what was she supposed to do?

International adoption is a business, plain and simple. While there are good, honest companies that facilitate the process, there are just as many shady crooked companies. What's a parent's recourse when they're victimized like this (assuming the mother WAS lied to). When she adopted the boy she signed a contract stating that she was adopting a healthy seven year old. Healthy (by American standards at least), is a general term for physical and emotional well being. This child had a history of this behavior. A history that was concealed during the adoption process.

Whomever suggested that she wouldn't do this if this were her own child, is right. She wouldn't have. Her child wouldn't have had these issues because these are symptoms of many many years of neglect and abuse. If her child had displayed this behavior s/he would have been removed by the state because SHE would have been the guilty party.

She signed on to be a mother, she didn't sign on to be terrorized or to have her life put at risk. It's an unfortunate situation, but I'm on her side and probably would have done the same thing.

 

[Hest88]

Having dealt with a cousin with severe, scary-threatening psychosis, I have sympathy for the woman. That said 1) I do firmly believe that when one takes on the care of another living creature (be it human or animal) one is obligated to see it through to the end. Just dumping is not an option. 2) Like Hudson, I''ve heard over and over again about potential issues with kids from Eastern European and Russian orphanages. If this woman hasn''t, then I just have to roll my eyes like when some new PScoper comes on and says "I''ve lurked and read everything on this site for months and months, and I just went to my local store and bought a ring that, jeez, scores a 4.9 on the HCA. What did I do wrong?"

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 4/12/2010 1:12:02 PM
Author: Hest88
Having dealt with a cousin with severe, scary-threatening psychosis, I have sympathy for the woman. That said 1) I do firmly believe that when one takes on the care of another living creature (be it human or animal) one is obligated to see it through to the end. Just dumping is not an option. 2) Like Hudson, I''ve heard over and over again about potential issues with kids from Eastern European and Russian orphanages. If this woman hasn''t, then I just have to roll my eyes like when some new PScoper comes on and says ''I''ve lurked and read everything on this site for months and months, and I just went to my local store and bought a ring that, jeez, scores a 4.9 on the HCA. What did I do wrong?''

I just heard about this today. I think it''s very sad. But agree with Hest and HH.
I know about cases where kids are soooo abused and come with big problems

You take a kid who is 6 away from the only Mom he''s ever known. You don''t go into that blindly. I don''t know what the adoptive Mom knew??
It''s like taking in a kid who is disabled. You have to know how much care and special needs that child will have..

This kid is disabled by the abuse he endured, and needs tons of therapy and may never be able to be a normal functioning child.

Who the heck is the advocate for this child?? Why was he allowed to be with the Mom for sooooo long.

The whole thing is so sad.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Kaleigh, I believe he had been in an orphanage and then with the adoptive mom for 6 months.

 

[elle_chris]

I''m looking at this from a totally different percpective.

We have a person who wanted to adopt a child. She didn''t go into it blindly. I''m positive she did her research, and understood that risks of adopting an older child.
Kids in orphanages are there for a reason, and already have emotional problems. There''s no way she didn''t understand this but chose to do it anyway.

Six months later, she decides she can''t handle it. What does she do? she sends a 7 year old on a 12 hour flight back to Russia with a note. Right, that''s the adult thing to do

In the last six months she didn''t get the kid help. in fact, she didn''t do anything from what I''ve read. All she did was tell her side of it. How abusive and dangerous this 7 year old was. Who''s speaking for the kid? No one. Can you even imagine the harm this caused him.

Personally, I think she should be charged with abandonment. Not doing anything sends as message to adoptive parents that hey, whenever you feel the kids are out of line, you can always send ''em back.

 

[movie zombie]

Date: 4/12/2010 6:13:56 PM
Author: elle_chris
I''m looking at this from a totally different percpective.

We have a person who wanted to adopt a child. She didn''t go into it blindly. I''m positive she did her research, and understood that risks of adopting an older child.
Kids in orphanages are there for a reason, and already have emotional problems. There''s no way she didn''t understand this but chose to do it anyway.

Six months later, she decides she can''t handle it. What does she do? she sends a 7 year old on a 12 hour flight back to Russia with a note. Right, that''s the adult thing to do

In the last six months she didn''t get the kid help. in fact, she didn''t do anything from what I''ve read. All she did was tell her side of it. How abusive and dangerous this 7 year old was. Who''s speaking for the kid? No one. Can you even imagine the harm this caused him.

Personally, I think she should be charged with abandonment. Not doing anything sends as message to adoptive parents that hey, whenever you feel the kids are out of line, you can always send ''em back.

what she said.

mz

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 4/12/2010 6:13:56 PM
Author: elle_chris
I''m looking at this from a totally different percpective.

We have a person who wanted to adopt a child. She didn''t go into it blindly. I''m positive she did her research, and understood that risks of adopting an older child.
Kids in orphanages are there for a reason, and already have emotional problems. There''s no way she didn''t understand this but chose to do it anyway.

Six months later, she decides she can''t handle it. What does she do? she sends a 7 year old on a 12 hour flight back to Russia with a note. Right, that''s the adult thing to do

In the last six months she didn''t get the kid help. in fact, she didn''t do anything from what I''ve read. All she did was tell her side of it. How abusive and dangerous this 7 year old was. Who''s speaking for the kid? No one. Can you even imagine the harm this caused him.

Personally, I think she should be charged with abandonment. Not doing anything sends as message to adoptive parents that hey, whenever you feel the kids are out of line, you can always send ''em back.

Gosh that poor kid.

 

[movie zombie]

see the latest? apparently, concerns are now that she was abusing the kid but he''s out of the country and now can''t be questioned. she also was giving the adoption agency glowing reports of how things were going and told them she wanted to adopt another....but they told her to concentrate on this boy and wait...so she went out and found another agency.

i think she''s imbalanced......

the sheriff and DA are meeting today to decide if they can press charges for at least abandonment if not outright abuse.

mz

 

[lilyfoot]

Date: 4/12/2010 12:52:20 PM
Author: Hudson_Hawk
I''m so torn by this story. I really feel there''s a lot more to it than what''s being presented by the media and I don''t think she should be villainized in this way until all the facts come out.

She signed on to be a mother, she didn''t sign on to be terrorized or to have her life put at risk. It''s an unfortunate situation, but I''m on her side and probably would have done the same thing.

HH:

I agree with what you said above. In regard to the highlighted portion, do you mean that you would also have placed a 7-year old child on a plane alone on a flight from the US to Russia (or anywhere else, for that matter)?

I can sympathize with the adoptive mother as well, but IMO, she did not handle the situation correctly. There is absolutely no excuse for placing a 7-year old child (or any child) on a plane alone.

And who is this "man" they paid $200 to in Russia to take the boy to the ministry? They don''t mention whether this man was at the airport when the flight arrived.

There have been stories before of mothers not bonding with their adopted children, giving them back to the agency, etc. But the plane part is what makes me think of this specific woman in a bad light. It was absolutely complete abandonment of the child, and of her parental responsibilities.

 

[lilyfoot]

Date: 4/13/2010 12:51:00 PM
Author: movie zombie
see the latest? apparently, concerns are now that she was abusing the kid but he''s out of the country and now can''t be questioned. she also was giving the adoption agency glowing reports of how things were going and told them she wanted to adopt another....but they told her to concentrate on this boy and wait...so she went out and found another agency.

i think she''s imbalanced......

the sheriff and DA are meeting today to decide if they can press charges for at least abandonment if not outright abuse.

mz

This is what I''m reading as well .. this is a horrible situation

I''m not so sure I''m believing the claims that the kid is "unstable" and "violent" ..

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

I don't know if I would have done that or not. I know I would have done whatever I could have done to protect myself and my family. If that meant turning him over to the state or to the adoption agency or insisting that someone with diplomatic clout help me get to the bottom of the issue then I would have.

I do believe the claims that the child was violent and unstable and I question the accusations of abuse/neglect on the adoptive mother's part....The situation doesn't fit the standard presentation and while there's a chance that it's just an unusual situation, it still doesn't hold much weight with me.

Oh, and I flew all the time when I was under the age of 10. Actually, I think the first time I flew alone was when I was 6. There are procedures in place to ensure that unaccompanied minors get from point A to point B when traveling on airlines.

 

[dragonfly411]

This story made me sad. Although I sympathize with the woman, I think she must have lacked some parenting skills, and also the devotion to really having a child. It isn''t like a dog, or bird, or horse that if something is wrong you just send it back and find another. That isn''t how children work.

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Until more comes out, I am researving judgement on whether the mother was nuts or the kid was, I just don''t know.
However, the mother was wrong. There is counciling, countless adoption help groups, local help groups, therapy, etc. I flew alone when I was a child, but not to another country to be picked up by a person no one had ever met. What if he had been a pedophile or had taken the money and just left the child there? There is NO justification for what she did. The kid is 7.

 

[swingirl]

I don''t know if there has been any further information but I read that the mother and other family members live in Tennessee in a large "compound" with a gate and heavy-duty fence around (I saw photos of the property and it looks creepy). Neither the boy or the mother''s nephew had been enrolled in public or private school, nor signed up for home schooling. The grandmother seems very instrumental in returning the boy. The mother was actually trying to adopt another boy from the Soviet Republic of Georgia. She made no mention of problems with the Russian boy even as late as March.

There is more to the story but the truth many never come out because the mom won''t talk until she is charged and without the child to interview they can''t charge her.

 

[Steel]

Thanks for the other link Galateia.

I feel conflicted about this. A little boy is a little boy and if he were suffering with psychological issues then this trauma (and it must be a trauma) is not helpful.

It is colloquially ''known'' that adoptions are difficult and it must be a shame to those looking to adopt a child to know that this occurred.

 

[purselover]

I find this whole thing extremely disturbing. I definitely think the US and Russia need to look into the mother as much as possible to get to the bottom of this.

First of all 6 months is not nearly enough time for a 7 year old kid from Russia to just acclimate to his new life and family here in the US. It can take years for a child and new parents to adjust to eachother. Giving up after 6 months is just not acceptable IMHO. I also want to know what if anything she did to try to help her son if she felt he was so unstable? There should be records somewhere of counseling, CPS perhaps, contact with the Russian agency expressing concern, contact with adoption support groups. There are so many resources out there to help families in these situations and it would be criminal if she did not utilize them.

So this woman gives up after just 6 months and decides she can just return her child like a sweater AND instead of flying with her son back to Russia to try to explain to the agency and to take responsibility for her actions, she just sends him alone! I''m sorry but seriously that''s what sends me over the edge

. This child is not a kitten to leave on the side of the road in a box with a sign free to a good home. This is her child she owed it to him to at least make sure he made it back to the agency safely, she claims she was so scared for her safety but what was he going to do kill her on a flight full of people???? No excuse for that.

Even with birth mothers people do end up with troubled children no matter how good of parents they are. The difference is though birth mom''s do not have a return option instead they utilize counseling, boot camps, and rehabs they don''t just drop them off on the side of the road.


Ughh this strikes a major nerve with me as someone who plans on starting the international adoption process in a few years. It''s hard, unfortunately kids have issues but you need to know that going in!

 

[galeteia]

Date: 4/14/2010 2:18:45 PM
Author: Steal
Thanks for the other link Galateia.


I feel conflicted about this. A little boy is a little boy and if he were suffering with psychological issues then this trauma (and it must be a trauma) is not helpful.


It is colloquially ''known'' that adoptions are difficult and it must be a shame to those looking to adopt a child to know that this occurred.

I''d been watching it in the news too. I''m so tempted to blame the mother for not handling things better, but when I read this:

In February, Hansen said, the family could take no more. The boy flew into a rage, snatched a 3-pound statue and tried to attack his aunt with it. Hansen said he was apparently upset after his aunt asked him to correct math problems on his school work.

I can''t really blame them, if their story is true. This child verbalizes his fantasies of murdering them for months and than snaps over math homework and attacks someone with a heavy blunt object? Yikes. I don''t think putting him back on the plane with no notice was the right thing to do, but if I was in her shoes, I would have protected my family. *IF* this is actually how things went down.

It was very wrong of the adoption agency to conceal his psychopathy from her, because they had to know from his past behaviours that they were putting her at risk. But if international adoption is about making money, they wouldn''t have cared so long as they were getting their $$

 

[brazen_irish_hussy]

Date: 4/15/2010 5:15:29 PM
Author: Galateia

Date: 4/14/2010 2:18:45 PM
Author: Steal
Thanks for the other link Galateia.


I feel conflicted about this. A little boy is a little boy and if he were suffering with psychological issues then this trauma (and it must be a trauma) is not helpful.


It is colloquially ''known'' that adoptions are difficult and it must be a shame to those looking to adopt a child to know that this occurred.

I''d been watching it in the news too. I''m so tempted to blame the mother for not handling things better, but when I read this:

In February, Hansen said, the family could take no more. The boy flew into a rage, snatched a 3-pound statue and tried to attack his aunt with it. Hansen said he was apparently upset after his aunt asked him to correct math problems on his school work.

I can''t really blame them, if their story is true. This child verbalizes his fantasies of murdering them for months and than snaps over math homework and attacks someone with a heavy blunt object? Yikes. I don''t think putting him back on the plane with no notice was the right thing to do, but if I was in her shoes, I would have protected my family. *IF* this is actually how things went down.

It was very wrong of the adoption agency to conceal his psychopathy from her, because they had to know from his past behaviours that they were putting her at risk. But if international adoption is about making money, they wouldn''t have cared so long as they were getting their $$

He may be. But to send the child back alone to another country to be picked up by someone that they have never met is beyond reprochable. If I were her, I would come forward and say that here is what I did, got counciling, etc. Instead, she has told the cops she will not come in, answer questions, etc unless she is arrested. If she really made any attempt to help him, why is she handling this so badly?

 

[purselover]

DH and I were discussing this last night and he wonders what she was thinking not bringing in her own counselor to meet the child before adopting him, and I have to say that''s probably not a bad idea. While you should be able to trust adoption agencies it certainly wouldn''t hurt to bring in a 3rd party to ease the transition.

He also said this sadly seems to be a problem with our country, the US has become far to consumerist and entitled where we feel if things aren''t what we expected we can just return them even if it''s a child.

I also want to add that even if this child is disturbed and a threat it would be far better to treat him here in the US and to stand by him, then to send him back to Russia where he may not receive the treatment he needs. There are facilities for disturbed children here in the US she could have brought him to, it''s not like he''d be the first child to ever threaten their family.

I also want to remind those that say they would feel a duty to protect their family this boy was family, he was her son I don''t care that she didn''t give birth to him and that they were only together 6 months. She had a duty to protect him as well and she should''ve done everything in her power to help him even if it means commiting him to make sure he gets treatment.

I really just can''t understand how a mother could do this.

 

[Loves Vintage]

Purselover, I agree with your post completely.

*****

I am dumbfounded when people say that she had to protect her family! He WAS her family. She ADOPTED him. I don't care what misrepresentations she is alleging at this point. You do not throw out a 7 year old child. And, you do not throw out a 7 year old child with psychological problems. He is not a sweater from JCrew that gets sent back. His name is Artyom. He is just a little boy. Can you imagine what he went through on that flight? Can you imagine what that woman said to him when she left him at the airport? That woman's conduct is nothing but shameful, and I find it hard to understand why anyone would defend her actions. In fact, the only place I've heard of anyone defending her is here! She had many other options available to her, but she chose to discard HER OWN CHILD that she agreed to care for and raise.

And, now it is unclear whether all adoptions to the US are still on-hold. Several hundred adoptions in progress on hold. What a mess.

 

[movie zombie]

yes, when she adopted that boy, he became her son in every sense of the word as if he had been born to her. she owed it to this child to seek help and go through appropriate channels. any child deserves this, but especially one that is adopted and now legally one''s responsibility.

mz