The illegal removal of children from biological family life during conflict has a longstanding history. Briefly overviewed are the Vietnam Babylift and a more recent child abduction attempt in Chad. Then, turning to the history of child abduction and adoption history in Latin America, the conflicts of El Salvador and Argentina are presented and ‘living disappeared’ children – those who disappear into adoption networks during war – are discussed. The post-conflict social realities in both nations are explored. The role of the social worker and specific practices are identified and discussed in context of generalist social work practice.
AlvarengaE. (2011) Searching for the truth: Pro-Búsqueda visits Virginia Commonwealth University, March, Richmond, Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work.
3.
AveryL. (2004) ‘A Return to Life: The Right to Identify Argentina’s “Living Disappeared”’, Harvard Women’s Law Journal27: 235–58.
4.
BergquistK. (2009) ‘Operation Babylift or Babyabduction? Implications of the Hague Convention on the Humanitarian Evacuation and “Rescue” of Children’, International Social Work52(5): 621–33.
5.
BergquistK. (2012) ‘Implications of the Hague Convention on the Humanitarian Evacuation and “Rescue” of Children’, in GibbonsJ.L.RotabiK.S. (eds) Intercountry Adoption: Policies, Practices and Outcomes, pp. 43–54. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
6.
BromfieldN.F.RotabiK.S. (2012) ‘The Haitian Child Abduction Attempt: Policy Analysis of Human Trafficking Laws and Implications for Social Workers’, Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics9(1). Available online at: http://www.socialworker.com/jswve/spring12/spr123.pdf (accessed 13 June 2012).
7.
BryskA (1994) The Politics of Human Rights in Argentina: Protest, Change, and Democratization. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
8.
BunkersK.M.GrozaV. (2012) ‘Intercountry Adoption and Child Welfare in Guatemala: Lessons Learned Pre and Post Ratification of the 1993 Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption’, in: GibbonsJ.L.RotabiK.S. (eds) Intercountry Adoption: Policies, Practices and Outcomes, pp. 119–31. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
9.
BunkersK.M.GrozaV.LauerD. (2009) ‘International Adoption and Child Protection in Guatemala: A Case of the Tail Wagging the Dog’, International Social Work52(5): 649–60.
10.
Camacho-GingerichA.Branco-RodriguezS.PitteriR.JavierR. (2007) ‘International Adoption of Latin American Children’, in JavierR.A.BadenA.L.BiaforaF.A.Camacho-GingerichA. (eds) Handbook of Adoption: Implications for Researchers, Practitioners, and Families. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
Casa Alianza, Myrna Mack Foundation, Survivors Foundation, the Social Movement for the Rights of Children and Adolescents, Human Rights Office of the Archbishop of Guatemala, and the Social Welfare Secretariat (2007) ‘Adoptions in Guatemala: Protection or Business?’, available online at: http://www.brandeis.edu/investigate/gender/adoption/docs/InformedeAdopcionesFundacionMyrnaMack.pdf (accessed 13 June 2012).
13.
DickensJ. (2009) ‘Social Policy Approaches to Intercountry Adoption’, International Social Work52(5): 595–607.
14.
DickensJ.GrozaV. (2004) ‘Empowerment in Difficulty: A Critical Appraisal of International Intervention in Child Welfare in Romania’, International Social Work47(4): 469–87.
15.
DoyleJ. (2010) Misguided Kindness: Making the Right Decisions for Children in Emergencies. Report for Save the Children. London: Save the Children.
16.
DubinskyK. (2010) Babies without Borders: Adoption and Migration across the Americas. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.
17.
ElkinM. (2008) ‘Maria Barragan Succeeds in Getting Adoptive Parents Jailed’, The Sunday Times, 5April.
18.
FreundlichM. (2000) Adoption and Ethics. Washington, DC: Child Welfare League of America.
19.
FronekP.CuthbertD. (2012a) ‘History Repeating. . . Disaster Related Intercountry Adoption and the Psychosocial Care of Children’, Social Policy and Society11(3): 1–14.
20.
FronekP.CuthbertD. (2012b) ‘The Future of Inter-country Adoption: A Paradigm Shift for this Century’, International Journal of Social Welfare21(12): 215–24.
GoldschmidtI. (1986) ‘National and Intercountry Adoptions in Latin America’, International Social Work29(3): 257–68.
23.
GoniU. (2010) ‘Adoption Scandal: Argentina Hounds a High-profile Mom’, Time, 5July.
24.
GrassiE.AlayónN. (2005) ‘Neo-liberalism in Argentina: Social Policy, Welfare and the Conditions for Development of Social Work’, in FergusonI.LavaletteM.WhitmoreE. (eds) Globalisation, Global Justice and Social Work. Abingdon, Oxon: Taylor & Francis.
25.
GreenD.M. (2010) ‘The Paradox of Self-determination for Marginalized Individuals’, Social Work and Society8(1). Available online at: http://www.socwork.net/sws/article/view/36/92 (accessed 13 June 2012).
26.
The Hague Conference on Private International Law (1993) ‘The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption’, The Hague, 29May.
27.
The Hague Conference on Private International Law (2008) ‘The Implementation and Operation of the 1993 Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention’, in Guide to Good Practice, Guide No. 1, Family Law, Bristol.
28.
HardingL.F. (1991) Perspectives on Child Care Policy. Harlow, Essex: Longman Group UK.
29.
HepworthD.H.RooneyR.H.RooneyG.D.Strom-GottfriedK.LarsenJ. (2010) Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
30.
HerrmannK.KasperB. (1992) ‘International Adoption: The Exploitation of Women and Children’, Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work7(1): 45–58.
31.
HollingsworthL.D. (2003) ‘International Adoption among Families in the United States: Considerations of Social Justice’, Social Work48(2): 209–17.
32.
HorwitzL.A.CatherwoodC. (2006) Encyclopedia of War Crimes and Genocide. New York: Infobased Publishing.
33.
International Committee of the Red Cross (2004) ‘Inter-agency Guiding Principles on Unaccompanied and Separated Children’, report, Central Tracing Agency and Protection Division, Geneva, January.
JuergensmeyerM.BrownR.M.McCoyC.ColemanJ.BennettJ.Napier JJ. (1975) ‘Statement on the Immorality of Bringing South Vietnamese Orphans to the United States’, available online at: http://pages.uoregon.edu/adoption/archive/SIBSVOUS.htm (accessed 13 June 2012).
36.
JoeB. (1978) ‘In Defense of Intercountry Adoption’, The Social Service Review52(1): 1–20.
37.
KaplanL.E.BryanV. (2009) ‘A Conceptual Framework for Considering Informed Consent’, Journal of Social Work Values and Ethics, available online at: http://www.socialworker.com/jswve/content/view/130/69/ (accessed 13 June 2012).
38.
KirtonD.FeastJ.HoweD. (2000) ‘Searching, Reunion and Transracial Adoption’, Adoption and Fostering Journal24(3): 6–18.
39.
LyonsK. (2006) ‘Globalization and Social Work: International and Local Implications’, British Journal of Social Work36(3): 365–80.
40.
MeenaghanT.M.GibbonsW.E.McNuttJ.G. (2005) Generalist Practice in Larger Settings: Knowledge and Skill Concepts. Chicago, IL: Lyceum Books.
41.
MezmurB. (2009) ‘From Angelina (to Madonna) to Zoe’s Ark: What are the “A-Z” lessons for intercountry adoptions in Africa?’, International Journal of Law, Policy and the Family23: 145–73.
42.
MoljoS.J.MoljoC.B. (2006) ‘30 Years after the Military Coup in Argentina: Approximations with the History of Social Work’, Revista Katálysis9(2): 260–7.
43.
MónicoC.C.RotabiK.S. (2012) ‘Truth, Reconciliation and Searching for the Disappeared Children of Civil War: El Salvador’s Search and Reunion Model Defined’, in GibbonsJ.L.RotabiK.S. (eds) Intercountry Adoption: Policies, Practices and Outcomes, pp. 119–31. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
44.
O’ConnorM.K.RotabiK.S. (2012) ‘Perspectives on Child Welfare: Ways of Understanding Roles and Actions of Current USA Adoption Agencies Involved in Intercountry Adoptions’, in GibbonsJ.L.RotabiK.S. (eds) Intercountry Adoption: Policies, Practices and Outcomes, pp. 77–88. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
45.
Pro-Búsqueda (2002) El dia mas esperado – Buscando a los niños desaparecidos de El Salvador [The Most Awaited Day – Searching for the ‘Disappeared’ Children of El Salvador]. San Salvador: UCA Editors.
46.
Pro-Búsqueda (2004) Historias para Tener Presente [Stories to Have Present]. El Salvador: UCA Editors.
47.
Pro-Búsqueda (2009) Adoption during Armed Conflict in El Salvador and its Effect on the Right to Identity of the Disappeared Children. San Salvador: UCA Editors.
48.
Pro-Búsqueda (2011) ‘Discurso 29 de Marzo Día de la Niñez Desaparecida Pronunciado por la Coordinadora General, Ester Alvarenga [March 29 Speech on Occassion of the Day of the Disappeared Children by Director, Ester Alvarenga]’, available online at: http://probusqueda.org.sv/2011/04/05/discurso-del-dia-de-la-ninezdesaparecida/.
49.
ReamerF.G. (1987) ‘Informed Consent in Social Work’, Social Work32(5): 425–9.
50.
RobyJ.L. (2007) ‘From Rhetoric to Best Practice: Children’s Rights in Intercountry Adoption’, Children’s Legal Rights Journal27(3): 48–71.
51.
RobyJ.L.IfeJ. (2009) ‘Human Rights, Politics, and Intercountry Adoption: An Examination of Two Sending Countries’, International Social Work52(5): 661–71.
52.
RobyJ.L.MaskewT. (2012) ‘Human Rights Considerations in Intercountry Adoption: The Children and Families of Cambodia and Marshall Islands’, in GibbonsJ.L.RotabiK.S. (eds) Intercountry Adoption: Policies, Practices and Outcomes, pp. 55–66. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
53.
RobyJ.L.MatsumuraS. (2002) ‘If Give You My Child, Aren’t We Family? A Study of Birthmothers Participating in Marshall Islands–U.S. Adoptions’, Adoption Quarterly5(4): 7–31.
54.
RotabiK.S. (2012a) ‘Fraud in Intercountry Adoption: Child Sales and Abduction in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Guatemala’, in GibbonsJ.L.RotabiK.S. (eds) Intercountry Adoption: Policies, Practices and Outcomes, pp. 67–76. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
55.
RotabiK.S. (2012b) ‘El uso de la fuerza, el fraude y la coerción en algunas adopciones en Guatemala: Los casos graves de secuestros que cuestionan el principio del “interés superior del menor”’ [Force, Fraud, and Coercion in Some Guatemalan Adoptions: High-profile Abduction Cases Challenge the ‘Best Interests of the Child’], Scripta Nova17(395), available online at: http://www.ub.edu/geocrit/sn/sn-395/sn-395-24.htm (accessed 13 June 2012).
56.
RotabiK.S.BergquistB. (2010) ‘Vulnerable Children in the Aftermath of Haiti’s Earthquake of 2010: A Call for Sound Policy and Processes to Prevent International Child Sales and Theft’, Journal of Global Social Work Practice, available online at: http://www.globalsocialwork.org/vol3no1/Rotabi.html (accessed 13 June 2012).
RotabiK.S.GibbonsJ.L. (2012) ‘Does the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption Adequately Protect Orphaned and Vulnerable Children and Their Families?’, Journal of Child and Family Studies21(1): 106–19.
59.
RyanA.S. (1983) ‘Intercountry Adoption and Policy Issues’, Journal of Children in Contemporary Society15(3): 49–60.
60.
SelmanP. (2009) ‘The Rise and Fall of Intercountry Adoption in the 21st Century’, International Social Work52(5): 575–94.
61.
SelmanP. (2011) ‘Intercountry Adoption after the Haiti Earthquake: Rescue or Robbery?’, Adoption & Fostering Journal35(4): 41–9.
62.
SelmanP. (2012) ‘The Rise and Fall of Intercountry Adoption in the 21st Century: Global Trends from 2001 to 2010’, in GibbonsJ.L.RotabiK.S. (eds) Intercountry Adoption: Policies, Practices and Outcomes, pp. 7–27. Farnham, Surrey: Ashgate.
63.
SmolinD.M. (2004) ‘Intercountry Adoption as Child Trafficking’, Valparaiso University Law Review39(2): 281–325.
64.
SmolinD.M. (2006) ‘Child Laundering: How the Intercountry Adoption System Legitimizes and Incentivizes the Practices of Buying, Trafficking, Kidnapping, and Stealing Children’, Wayne Law Review52: 113–200.
65.
SmolinD.M. (2008) ‘Child Laundering and the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption: The Future and Past of Intercountry Adoptions’, University of Louisville Law Review48: 441–98.
66.
SprenklesR.Carrillo-HernandezL.VillacortaC.E. (2001) Lives Apart – Family Separation and Alternative Care Arrangements during El Salvador’s Civil War. Save the Children report. Westport, CT: Save the Children.
67.
TropmanJ.E.Richards-SchusterK.E. (2000) The Concept of Levels and Systems in Work Direct Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
United Nations Children’s Fund (n.d.) ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’, available online at: http://www.unicef.org/crc/ (accessed 13 June 2012).
United States Institute for Peace (2001) ‘From Madness to Hope: The 12-year War in El Salvador: Report of the Commission on the Truth for El Salvador’, available online at: http://www.usip.org/files/file/ElSalvador-Report.pdf (accessed 13 June 2012).
