“We demand an investigation into the network that facilitates illegal adoptions in Croatia in cooperation with the Congolese mafia,” CitizenGo says.
The organization further demands an investigation “of all those who in any way mediated and participated in the issuance of illegal documents to potential adoptive parents.”
Charges against the eight Croats had been dropped by the Zambian court, which had given them 48 hours to leave Zambia. But as they attempted to leave the airport, they were rearrested for the initial charges of trafficking.
CitizenGo activists describe the situation as a scandal, adding, “It is about the lives of children who have been traumatized by illegal smuggling and placed in the hands of people who do not know their culture, their language, and the question arises as to how the adaptation of the children to potential adopters was carried out before the actual taking of the children!”
“How many children have gone through such a traumatic experience?” the Catholic activists pose, and add, “If Zambian officials had not demanded answers this practice would have continued! Namely, these are not the first children who entered Croatia under the nose of Croatian institutions, or rather with their permission!”
The activists say they find it regrettable that the persons whose hands papers for the legalization of adoption of the four Congolese children passed in Croatia did not ask questions.
“It is not known exactly how many children were brought to Croatia, but it is known that the lawyers from Congo who helped in bringing them earned substantial sums,” the members of CitizenGo say.
In their call for action against what they refer to as international trafficking, the Catholic activists say, “Together we can put pressure on the institutions and help the case not to be covered up, but to shed light for the benefit of these children and all children who were or are at risk of becoming victims of international trafficking.”
“Let's do what we can so that the children can achieve their right to grow up in a family that will love them and take care of their best interests, and let's preserve the good name of all adoptive parents whose first interest is truly the welfare of children!” the CitizenGo members say in their petition launched February 7.
Agnes Aineah is a Kenyan journalist with a background in digital and newspaper reporting. She holds a Master of Arts in Digital Journalism from the Aga Khan University, Graduate School of Media and Communications and a Bachelor's Degree in Linguistics, Media and Communications from Kenya's Moi University. Agnes currently serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.
