Special Advisor Jacobs most recently served as a Senior Policy Advisor in the Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs. A former U.S. Ambassador to Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, she also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Global Issues in the Bureau of Legislative Affairs. Her distinguished Foreign Service career has also included tours in Caracas, Tel Aviv, New Delhi, Bucharest, and San Salvador.

Special Advisor Jacobs graduated from the University of Michigan and later studied at Georgetown University Law School and the George Washington University. She has received numerous awards, including the Department of State’s Superior and Meritorious Honor Awards, and the U.S. Embassy New Delhi’s Community Achievement Award.

The Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues, located within the Bureau of Consular Affairs, assists parents, children, and families in matters related to intercountry adoption and international parental child abductions. It serves as the U.S. Central Authority for both the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and the 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.

For more information about the Department of State’s Office of Children’s Issues, please visit our websites at:

www.adoption.state.gov, www.travel.state.gov/childabduction

A new Unicef report warns that children accused of being witches – some as young as eight – have been been burned, beaten and even killed as punishment.

The belief that a child could be a witch is a relatively modern development, researchers say. Until 10-20 years ago, it was women and the elderly who tended to be accused.

The agency says the rise in vulnerable children being abused in this way is linked to greater urbanisation in the continent and disruption caused by war.

The growing economic burden of raising children is also thought to be a factor. The agency said there was little it could do about the belief in witchcraft itself, and that it was not trying to eradicate the practice. But it said violence against children was wrong, and that it would do everything it could to stop it.

Most of those accused of witchcraft are boys aged between eight to 14 – who often end up being attacked, tortured and sometimes killed.

“The children would be forced to admit being witches and then asked to tell the accusers who passed on the witchcraft to them”

Also, children have had petrol poured into their eyes or ears as a way of trying to exorcise “evil spirits” that healers believe have possessed them.

It is reported that some evangelical preachers have added to the problem by charging large sums for exorcisms. One was recently arrested in Nigeria after charging more than $250 for each procedure.

There has been no comprehensive study to suggest how widespread child witchcraft allegations are

However Unicef’s Regional Child Protection officer for West and Central Africa told the BBC more than 20,000 streetchildren had been accused of witchcraft in the DR Congo capital Kinshasa.

Joaquim Theis told the Newshour programme that such children had often been beaten and sent away from their homes.

“The children would be forced to admit being witches and then asked to tell the accusers who passed on the witchcraft to them.”

Mr Theis said reintegrating affected children remained a “major problem”.

It is the only applicable to almost all protection’s measures of children living in family discomfort and set up to foster the establishment of a common judicial area. The application of the Convention could settle a host of unresolved situations in which there are now thousands of children: those looked after, in foster care and moving from one country to another with whom has responsibility, children who come from countries hit by natural disasters or war or children in Kafala (a child protection’s measure in the countries of North Africa).

The deadline for Italy and eight other countries (Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Greece, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Malta) had to ratify the Convention was set by the EU Council in June 5, 2010. On the 24th June the Directorate General of JFS of the European Commission, sped up the non-ratifying Countries to provide for setting the appropriate ratification instruments, noting that the Council’s decision is legally binding.

The 5th of July the technical meeting of the Committee on Civil Matters at the Council of the European Union in Brussels confirmed the progress of ratification by countries like Spain and the United Kingdom, while Italy was not able to guarantee neither the time nor the desire to provide for the ratification.

If the European Commission will actually ascertain the inactivity of the Member States or the or the unwillingness to ratify, with reference to the Art. 258 of the European Union Treaty, it could take into consideration the application of the infringement procedure foreseeing a proceedings before the Court of Justice of the European Union that could lead to a financial sanction for non-compliance with the Community law.

Therefore, no one can state when new international adoptions will begin in Kazakhstan. The State Department advises that “prospective adoptive parents should not attempt to initiate any new adoptions in Kazakhstan.”

Source: Center for adoption policy

Eurochild also sent a letter to the Ukrainian President and Prime Minister to express its concern regarding this Order, which would surely undermine the achievements which Ukraine has made in reforming institutional care.  We urged the political leaders to review their decision and take immediate action to support the deinstitutionalisation of children in Ukraine and put children’s best interests at the heart of their care system

This is the only treaty that can be applied to almost the totality of the measures related to children in difficulty. It has been created to be a common juridical space. An instrument that, if applied, will permit to give an answer to many unresolved situations of children in family difficulty: unaccompanied children, children from countries hit by natural disasters or war, children under the kafala (Islamic instrument of law to protect abandoned children), children in family difficulty that are not being adopted.

The deadline for Italy and the other 8 countries (Austria, Belgium, Great Britain, Greece, Luxembourg, Spain, Sweden and Malta) that should have ratified the Convention, has been fixed by the European Union Council on June 5th, 2010. The General Direction JLS of the EU had solicited the Convention’s ratification on June 24th to these countries. Spain and Great Britain have been the first two countries to ratify.

Still no signs from Italy.

“Italy should follow the positive example of Spain and Great Britain and ratify this instrument basic to protect children in difficulty. For the first time a Convention recognises that the best interest of the child must be above the difficulties in the ordinances’ dialogue. It obliges the states to find a common juridical status between the country of origin and the country of reception of the child. This Convention, if applied, will have the historical importance to permit to take away from the limbo many children in family difficulty’ has been declared by Marco Griffini, Ai.Bi.’s President.

Below the translation of an excerpt of the interview.

Reporter: Turning to another topic, during your Senate hearings last year you said that a priority of your mandate will be resumption of international adoptions.

Mark Gitenstein.: Yes.

R: What can you say about this topic now?

MG: My approach on the subject of adoption is that I would like international adoptions to be resumed. And I made efforts for this to happen. My concern is related to the children and I want to make sure they get to the right home. We have identified 300 children who may be adopted. The Romanian Government gave me some information about their situation. I think that only 40 of these children have not been adopted. I am trying to find out what is their health status, how well they are treated.

Then, I would like to see a change in the Romanian law on adoptions, so that children can be adopted more easily and quickly, whether adopted by Romanians or foreigners. Because I believe that it is not a healthy thing that these children are not among their families as soon as possible. My wife is working as a volunteer here at a center in a hospital where they stay during their first year of life. And that is when they should be adopted, as soon as possible. Because the longer they stay in institutions, the greater will be the impact on their emotional and intellectual development. I know there are people who want the law to be changed so that the process would be faster, and this is extremely important. And you know, I know people – Americans – who live here, in Romania and are trying to adopt and have many problems.

These children deserve a family exactly as we had. [...]

The U.S. adoption system contains unique challenges that make reaching such an agreement more difficult. Unique among the various governance systems for international adoption, responsibility in the U.S. system is doubly divided-between the federal government and state governments on the one hand, and between governmental agencies and private adoption service providers on the other. Notwithstanding these barriers, we remain confident that an agreement will be reached in a timely fashion.

Source: Center for adoption policy

“Children often find themselves in difficult situations in today’s world – whether as internet users, migrants or as witnesses at a trial. Their rights must be protected and promoted. I look forward to hearing from all interested parties on how best to look after their interests and their rights,” said Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship.

Protecting the rights of children in daily life requires a different approach than for adults: whether it is a child participating at a trial, involved in a family dispute, dealing with public administrations, or facing challenging situations like migration, violence or poverty. To know what their rights are and to have them respected, an EU-wide strategy can provide good guidance and useful input. The EU and its Member States want to ensure that children get care and protection and that their voice is heard.

In 2006 the Commission launched a strategy on the rights of the child to make sure EU policies promote children’s rights.

The public consultation aims to improve and find new potential actions for the re-launch of the strategy for the period 2011-2014. As usual, it will draw on the experience of citizens and organisations, associations, bodies, institutions, and experts who deal with the protection and promotion of children’s rights from local to international level.

The consultation is looking at specific areas – identified by people working in the field at the Forum for the Rights of the Child – where children might face problems such as:

Child-friendly justice and children’s participation in the justice system (as witnesses, for example);

Justice policies safeguarding children’s rights, such as in the framework of family mediation;

Protecting vulnerable groups of children (victims of violence, sexual exploitation or trafficking, or children living in poverty);

Child participation in the development of policies affecting children.

The Commission will publish a report summarising all the contributions received through this consultation. It will use the results when drafting a new Communication on the Rights of the Child to cover the period 2011-2014.

In parallel with this public consultation, the Commission is conducting a study especially targeted at getting feedback from children themselves (such as through focus groups), which will be published in October.

The Public Consultation on the Commission’s Communication on the Rights of the Child (2011-2014) is open from 11 June until 20 August and can be found here:

http://ec.europa.eu/justice_home/news/consulting_public/news_consulting_public_en.htm “

Jolie met with U.N. and Haitian officials, including Haiti’s President Rene Preval, to discuss the future of the Haitian children who were left homeless and orphaned as a result of the earthquake in January.

Could we be seeing another adoption in Brangelina’s future? One source said to UK newspaper Daily Star: “She met officials and there has been a lot of talk that she is desperate to help the children. She is thinking of adopting one.”

This is her second time back to the ravaged country—she and Brad visited directly after the quake. “We are devastated by the news from Haiti,” the duo said in a statement back then. “We will work closely with our good friend Wyclef Jean to support the humanitarian efforts on the island and help those who have been injured and left without homes and shelter.”

They also donated $1 million to relief efforts. All signs point to Angie and Brad adopting another baby! She’s clearly shown a lot of interest in lending her support and funds to the country, and we’d love to see an addition to the Brangie Bunch!