Latest modern slavery fight updates - FreedomUnited.org

Kids Trafficked to Congo Orphanage, Adopted in Belgium

  • Published on
    January 30, 2019
  • News Source Image
  • Category:
    Human Trafficking
Hero Banner

Belgian prosecutors are asking for DNA samples from 15 families in a bid to track down the biological families of trafficked adopted children.

It emerged this week that Congolese children were kidnapped, taken to an orphanage, and put up for adoption in Belgium after their parents sent them off to what they believed was a holiday camp.

Act Now: End Orphanage Child Trafficking.

The Belgian families who later adopted the children thought their biological parents were dead.

“This is a drama. How do you explain such things to those children? Not to mention the pain that real parents must feel in the Congo”, said Lorin Parys, a Flemish politician.

The Telegraph reports:

The DNA demand applies to all Congolese children adopted in Belgium from November 2013 and comes as an 18 month investigation builds up a head of steam.

Prosecutors want the tests to find out the extent of the trafficking in Congolese children to Belgium, which infamously colonised a region including the present day Democratic Republic of Congo.

Investigators have identified at least four cases where a Congolese child adopted in Belgium had living biological parents thousands of miles away. The parents, who lived in the countryside, were convinced to send their children to a holiday camp in the capital Kinshasa.

The children were instead put in the Tumaini orphanage, which investigators found was hastily closed recently, before being flown to Belgium.

Julienne Mpemba, 41, is suspected of being behind the orphanage trafficking and facilitating the kidnaps. She claimed that she gave around 50 Congolese children “a new future in Belgium” and that she did not receive money in the process.

At the moment, all of the adopted Congolese children remain in Belgium with their adopted families. Their adoptions can be cancelled, but it is possible that a family judge could rule that a child stays with the adoptive parents.

Subscribe

Freedom United is interested in hearing from our community and welcomes relevant, informed comments, advice, and insights that advance the conversation around our campaigns and advocacy. We value inclusivity and respect within our community. To be approved, your comments should be civil.

stop icon A few things we do not tolerate: comments that promote discrimination, prejudice, racism, or xenophobia, as well as personal attacks or profanity. We screen submissions in order to create a space where the entire Freedom United community feels safe to express and exchange thoughtful opinions.

Notify of
guest
2 Comments
Most Voted
Newest Oldest
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Jocelyn Chouinard
Jocelyn Chouinard
5 years ago

OMG how can these disgusting subhumans continue to steal children and sell them to unsuspecting people! The world has gone mad with greed! Why are they NOT convicted to work on chain gangs for the rest of their filthy lives!

Paul Bunting BSc MSc
Paul Bunting BSc MSc
5 years ago

Children should not be stolen from their parents, the exception being that, if the parents wanted to put the child up for adoption, suitable alternative parents may be found.

This week

Modern slavery victims at the heart of U.K.'s controversial Rwanda deportation policy

In a significant development in U.K. immigration policy, the debate over the Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, recently renamed the Safety of Rwanda Bill, has intensified. Central to this controversy is the treatment of victims of modern slavery, with the legislative outcome heavily impacting their rights and safety. Legislative standoff After a prolonged standoff between the unelected House of Lords and the elected House of Commons, expectations

| Tuesday April 16, 2024

Read more