This will be my last post on Triple Play. Kursk got back to our agency and said that due to the risk of negative publicity related to the Miles Harrison case they are not willing to refer siblings at this time. Also the agency rep we spoke with today said that she’s not sure they are letting the TV man adopt the youngest boy. Yes, you heard that right – for the sake of avoiding negative press they have sentenced 3 boys to and institutional existence. Apparently Russian culture would not reason that giving the boys an actual family would be better than keeping them in an orphanage with a 60% chance of entering a life of crime upon aging out. Shift work nannies are preferable to actual parents if those parents are American.
Because of our utter disgust with Russia for this decision we declined the offer to change to a region that is referring siblings. Russia really doesn’t care about these children – they couldn’t possibly with the choice that they’ve made. Yes, the orphanage workers do and the agency workers do…but as a whole, big picture kind of thing I will never be convinced of the logic of their decision. It’s horrible and unexcusable.
So to the Russian Federation, the Russian Ministry of Education and whatever individual made the decision to sentence these boys to the orphanage when a loving, financially secure couple waited to become their parents and give them a good family life: you should be ashamed of yourselves. I hope you feel good about yourselves in the moment because in time karma will prevail.
What an awful story! Part of me wondered if there even was this media person, or if it was a made up excuse to not let the adoption move forward for some other reason. This is really so sad! I can totally understand why you would pull out after all of this. Remember the days when we were all kind of bright eyed and bushy tailed about the land of adoption? I feel so jaded after all these years. So much of it seems to be a racket.
I am so sorry these events have happened to you. Sometimes I think it’s hard for many people in Russia to do what they know is right when it is unpopular because they are under such political pressure to toe the line. And, they have historically not been able to act very independently.
Nonetheless, it is tragic that they would rather choose not to place these siblings with a foreigner when there is nobody ready to adopt them inside Russia. I am sorry that you have suffered in this way. I hope you have a better experience with China.
My best to you.
I just don’t even know what to say, because it’s all so horrible and shocking. My heart aches for you, and it aches for those boys. It’s truly reprehensible what the officials in Russia are doing.
I’m sending as much positive energy out to universe that I can that China happens this year. You guys have been ready for far too long to welcome home a child. Wishing you peace as you say goodbye to this chapter & lots & lots of hugs as you move ahead.
xoxo
Terrible and we send our best wishes to you! We went through similar stalling and obstacles during our last Russian adoption. Now we are involved again and moving quickly through the system, but it seems to be the exception rather than the rule.
May China be a much more happy and hopeful experience for you.
So sorry your story ended this way. My heart breaks for you and also for those poor children whose opportunity to be a part of a loving family has been taken away from them. I hope the China story has a happy ending, you deserve it after all you have been through.
You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
So sorry your journey will come to an end. No, Russia does not care for their children, that’s where we come in.
You should have followed the advice of your agency, to switch to a different region to adopt.
For us who have followed EE adoption for the past few years, we have learned that adoptions are processed differently from region to region.
When scandals relating Russian children adopted by Americans happen, the regions which approved the adoptions take actions and usually halt referrals and adoptions so that they can review procedures and also to appear like they are doing something so the situation doesn’t happen in the future.
After local or foreign scandals, regions like Ekaterinburg, Irkutsk, Perm, etc… tightened their requirements and paperwork needed for adoption, making the process of adoption in their regions practically impossible.
There are however many other regions which are adoption-friendly, and in which you may not have had any problems.
When we want to adopt from a country, we are at their mercy. We can argue that the children are in dire need of the care only we can provide, and it is the truth.
But, it is THEIR children we are trying to adopt, it is THEIR rules we have to follow.
Sorry for not offering much support, but I feel that you may have interpreted the difficulties encountered in one region with the overall adoption situation of the whole country.
I wish you good luck with your adoption in China, and hopefully it will come along more uneventful.
God bless!
Candy, while I appreciate your comment and agree that it applies to those who enter Russian adoption the ‘normal’ way – I think you really need to go back and read my whole blog because you are missing several points. The the only reason we entered Russian adoption was specifically for these boys as they were on our agency’s waiting child list – we did not enter Russian adoption without a referral as is the usual case – we actually had called our agency asking about Ethiopia, not Russia, and they offered us the boys referral. Also we already have a file in China and expect referral in about 9 months give or take, which means taking the time to redo our dossier for another region and waiting for referral and such means we would have to pull our China dossier. While we were willing to do that for the boys, we are not willing to do that otherwise. Finally, while our case got delays and excuses delaying trip 1, only one of those delays affected others in our region – after that delay all others processes continued while ours stalled – both for single child and sibling adoptions. At no time were any rules or laws cited for our delays – this is purely a political move as confirmed by our agency. Perhaps in the future you will read the background before lecturing on others’ blogs.
Do you have a new blog?
theroadtohana.wordpress.com