Korean Adoptees Worldwide: Vance Twins, Curators, Seek Submissions from Separated Adoptees, Families, and Birthmothers
The Vance Twins discussing the results of the first Adoption Trafficking Awareness Symposium June of 2022. Adopted people and parents of loss spoke about the unknown and hidden side of adoption.
Now available at online retailers, https://koreanadopteesworldwide.net/ and https://www.amazon.com/dp/1548423963
Janine Vance, author of The Search for Mother Missing: A Peek Inside International Adoption
Author of "The Search for Mother Missing" and "The Unknown Culture Club: Korean Adoptees, Then and Now" Seek Stories for a New Book Collection on Adoption Loss.
SEATTLE, WA, UNITED STATES, December 9, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- In a heartfelt response to the recent grievances filed by Han Tae-soon against the South Korean government and an adoption agency reported by Kim Tong-Hyung in AP, Janine Vance, a Holt “adoptee” and author of "The Search for Mother Missing: A Peek Inside International Adoption1," has extended an invitation to Han and other parents impacted by adoption-loss.
Janine adds, "You are not alone. There are other parents of adoption-loss all over the world who are also asking for the return of their children."
From the Associated Press article, 'South Korean woman sues government and adoption agency after her kidnapped daughter was sent abroad,' Han Tae-soon cried. “For 44 years, I wandered and searched for my child, but the joy of meeting her was only momentary and now I am in so much pain because we can’t communicate in the same language,” Han said, fighting back tears. “It turns out they didn’t make an effort to find her clearly existing parents and instead disguised her as an orphan for adoption abroad. I want the government and Holt to explain to us how this happened.”
The invitation is not limited to Han Tae-soon but extends to all parents who have lost their children to overseas adoption.
Janine curated two anthologies on adoption loss, "Adoptionland: From Orphans to Activists2" and "The 'Unknown' Culture Club: Korean Adoptees, Then and Now3." "I deeply empathize with Han Tae-soon's grief. I don’t think there is a worse feeling than to lose a child to adoption,” said Vance. "The mother's grief is confirmation. Guilty perpetrators and those who participate need to be criminally charged. This wasn't a 'mistake, or the work of a bad social worker,' as claimed by Holt, or merely an 'adoption irregularity.' How utterly inconsiderate. The 70-year-old mother’s life was completely destroyed in 1975 when her child was kidnapped for foreign adoption. I invite Han and other parents who have suffered the same loss to contact us at admin@adoptiontruth.org."
The author of "The Search for Mother Missing," Janine and her twin were adopted in 1972 but discovered later in life they were not US citizens. According to their adoption documents, they were "found on the street by a passerby" and were issued a "Certificate of Orphanhood."
Vance started her examination into agency tactics as early as 2004 when she inadvertently discovered that Korean parents do exist (as opposed to adoption documents that claim children were "orphaned," "abandoned," and "unwanted"). She learned that a great many parents have been desperately seeking to reunite with their missing children. Since then, Vance has spent several years scrutinizing the activities of Harry Holt, one of the key figures in establishing the intercountry adoption system.
While attending the 50-year anniversary adoption conference in 2004, Janine learned of a potential problem: "A Korean man approached me in the back alley of the conference hotel and handed me a note to give to the CEO of the Holt business. It read: 'I want study English ! ! because, i want talking with my son. He is addaping(?) 2003`form seoul,to U.S.A.. I am waiting … for meet, longlong time ! help me please.'"
The Vance Twins invite parents of taken, missing or kidnapped children to contact them. This invitation is extended to other parents of adoption-loss, commonly stigmatized as 'birthmothers' or 'unwed mothers' in the adoption industry.
“Our files contain a 'certificate of orphanhood,' implying we have no biological family members. In the US, adoptees are prohibited access to adoption documents due to self-regulated adoption-laws."
Today, the twins suspect the adoption agency falsified their adoption documents--and that they're not the only ones who have been advertised as "orphans." “I’ve noticed in the business of overseas adoption that it’s the ‘adoptees’ and ‘parents of missing children’ who are vilified as ‘anti-adoption’ even when they have been victimized. The love affair with adoption is so prevalent. The way victims are treated is utterly disgusting.”
The author has also noticed that mothers of adoption-loss are routinely minimized as "birthmothers" or "unwed" mothers, and adopted people are stigmatized as "adoptees," preventing taken children and parents of loss from receiving the care and concern they deserve to be reunited with separated families and missing family members due to adoption laws built by a lucrative adoption industry. Stigmatization, according to Janine when speaking in defense of the victims, conveniently reduces crimes to mere "adoption irregularities."
When trying to solve cases or for those who seek reunions, the Vance twins recommend their colleagues from Against Child Trafficking registered in NL. Arun Dohle, Executive Director, has observed the industry stakeholders for decades and solved numerous cases with his partner, Anjali Pawar.
Announcement: New Virtual Meetups for AT TWIN Community
AT TWIN is excited to announce new virtual meetups via Zoom, bringing together adoptees across the U.S. and globally for community support, education, and advocacy. These sessions will focus on uniting and empowering members and finding AT TWIN state reps with shared knowledge on human rights in adoption. Each meeting will equip 50 designated state leads with essential information to guide support groups in their regions, offering validation and resources for individuals, families, and parents impacted by adoption.
For members interested in partnering with the Vance Twins, send a resume to admin@adoptiontruth.org. Remember to include why you wish to join the community and what skills you’d like to share. You may also recommend AT TWIN books, including “Adoption: What You Should Know.” Together, we’re building an informed, global community committed to empowering adopted people and our allies with information on inherent and natural human rights.
Vance and her twin, known as the Vance Twins, established the Adoption Truth & Transparency Worldwide Information Network (AT TWIN) in 2011. The sisters have examined the footsteps and activities of the adoption pioneers. A growing number of adopted people particularly notice that agencies do not help “adoptees” reunite with their families and adoption pioneers did not assist grieving mothers to find their missing children. Why? The author observed: "It's a conflict of interest, of course."
Administrator
Adoption Truth & Transparency Worldwide Information Network
admin@adoptiontruth.org
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WATCH NOW: South Korea's Adoption Reckoning (full documentary) | FRONTLINE PBS | Official at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rz3ME8K_zW4
1 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1548423963
2 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1500957941
3 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1512331538
