Institutional Human Trafficking
A briefing by Family Court Crisis, United Kingdom
This paper describes forms of human trafficking we are observing in the United Kingdom and Europe, with an emphasis on institutional human trafficking which is little recognised and discussed.
This is a living document and a starting point for information gathering and discussion. We welcome contributions and will update this post accordingly.
Forms of human trafficking
We consider that human trafficking exists in wealthy countries such as the United Kingdom in underground and institutional forms. Institutional trafficking is a common phenomenon of which many people are unaware. Yet it has a long history, which is discussed in the Appendix.
In the United Kingdom, both kinds of trafficking affect British and foreign nationals to different extents and in different ways.
Institutional and underground trafficking are linked. Underground traffickers use state institutions to “launder” kidnap, and traffickers embedded within official institutions procure individuals who may subsequently be exploited by criminals.
Traffickers target people with vulnerabilities such as poverty, disability, neurodiversity, victims of domestic or sexual violence as an adult or child, care experience, precarious immigration status and isolation.
What is institutional human trafficking?
When most people think about human trafficking they think of criminal gangs. This is an enormous and growing problem due to increasing levels of corruption in many countries.
But there is another, more insidious form of human trafficking that has existed for many years, and remains “hidden in plain sight” due to the fact that it is perpetrated by people representing official bodies. We may term it “institutional human trafficking”.
Family Court Crisis is a collective of parents who are victims of human trafficking cartels in the family courts, social care and healthcare institutions. Our focus is presently on children, but we know that vulnerable adults, such as those with complex healthcare needs, disabilities and the elderly are also affected.
Many people hard to believe that respectable professionals in the courts, social services, and even doctors would become involved in crime. But there are many historic cases where this happened. Examples of these are presented in the Appendix.
Institutional human trafficking takes place:
Through the courts, social services, medical and educational institutions
Through immigration procedures
Trafficking through the courts
This is the form of trafficking that Family Court Crisis members are impacted by.
There are several forms of trafficking through the courts. We are aware that this takes place through family courts (children and sometimes vulnerable adults), and Court of Protection (adults lacking mental capacity).
Child custody and contact arrangements
In 2023 the UN Special Rapporteur for Violence Against Women submitted a report to the Human Rights Council about global patterns of ignoring domestic and sexual violence in determining child custody cases, where mothers making such allegations have been penalized by law enforcement and/or the judiciary responsible for determining custody cases, resulting in the transfer of children into the custody of the abusive father.
GREVIO, the Council of Europe’s independent expert group responsible for monitoring implementation of the Istanbul Convention in signatory states, in its monitoring reports finds consistently that domestic violence is not taken into account when making decisions on child custody and contact, and that victims are re-victimised. This not infrequently results in custody being awarded to the abusive partner.
In the media across many countries, there are reports of child and maternal deaths following unsafe child custody and contact decisions made by the courts. One recent example is the case of Sara Sharif, who was sent by a family court in England to live with her father and was tortured and killed. A criminal trial is still underway.
In the USA Dr Bandy X Lee, a psychiatrist and violence expert is reporting extensively on child custody cases. She writes in this article that family courts are:
“… a multi-billion-dollar business, which yields lucrative returns for stealing children and trafficking them to the “wrong” parent. Since the “wrong” parent likely engages in violence, abuse, and all too often trafficking to pedophilic sex rings and the child pornography industry, this means that children are being auctioned off to their life sentences that invariably include torture but also at many times also battery, rape, suicide, or murder.”
Child abduction cases
The Hague Convention on International Parental Child Abduction works in multiple ways to “launder” the trafficking of children.
In the child custody cases above, where the child is trafficked to the “wrong” parent and the (usually) mother flees abroad to protect the child, the Hague Convention is used as a tool to enforce their return.
Where a violent father takes the child in an act of unprovoked kidnap, the Hague Convention downgrades this act is to a civil offence heard in family or specialised Hague courts. In the civil jurisdiction the judge has unlimited discretion, and hearings are private. We are documenting that in almost all instances of unprovoked kidnap or retention of the child by males the children are not returned to the mother. There is no accountability for this refusal by the courts to uphold the law. This means that the stated intent of the Convention has in practice been completely undermined.
The authorities are allowing Hague child abduction cases to be filed against women in cases where no abduction has taken place, for example where the male does not have a biological relationship with the child or rights of custody, or the child was living with his or her mother in their country of habitual residence. These are pure institutional trafficking cases.
Where migrant mothers are forced to return to their countries following the breakdown of their marriages, the family courts refuse them permission to return home with their children. They are punished under child abduction laws if they do so unilaterally because they have no choice. This creates a situation of non-consensual surrogacy or entrapment.
All of the above place women and children at risk of non-consensual surrogacy.
Children’s social care
There are three main kinds of children’s social care available when a child temporarily or permanently cannot be cared for by his or her own family: residential care (children’s homes), foster care and adoption.
In the United Kingdom the children’s social care sector has become dominated by private ownership. These can be companies that own children’s homes, or agencies that manage foster care arrangements or adoptions.
In all three instances conflicts of interest, perverse financial incentives and ideologies have motivated a sharp rise in children being taken into care.
In all three kinds of care settings, there is a much higher likelihood of the child being abused than with their natural families. We are seeing that such children are vulnerable to being targeted by gangs for sexual exploitation and drug trafficking.
It is well known that care experienced children have significantly poorer life outcomes than their peers who grow up with their natural families. One example of this is the high proportion of care experienced people in the prison population, which is around 25%, despite care experienced people only making up 1% of the population. Some prisons report much higher rates of care experienced inmates.
Therefore, it cannot be said that it is in children’s best interests to be placed in care unless there is compelling evidence that this must happen. Many parents are reporting that their children are taken after they seek support as a result of poverty, disability or domestic violence. This reflects inappropriate allocation of funding. Meanwhile, frequent reports of conflicts of interest and perverting the course of justice, such as unfounded allegations, suggest that it is financial motives and perverse performance targets that are driving children into care, not a real need for this drastic step which should, by law, be a last resort.
Therefore, we can consider this a form of trafficking. There are historic precedents for this, such as the Mother and Baby Homes scandal in Ireland. See the Appendix for more examples.
One of the most extreme forms of trafficking through children’s social care is international adoption, since families typically lose all trace of their children, while their children are severed from their cultural and familial roots. Sometimes both parents and children are falsely told the other is no longer alive. We know that inter country adoption is being used to bring children to Europe for sex and organ trafficking.
International residential care placements can also be used to place “problematic” children overseas. A true story about the Home Programme, in which the British authorities sent children to Australia and other countries, was popularised in the film Oranges and Sunshine. These practices still linger today, as suggested by this extract from the current Leeds Children's Social Work Service Procedures Manual. This can happen where financial considerations are prioritised over the human rights of children and families.
Grooming gangs
The grooming gangs scandal in the United Kingdom is associated with groups of mainly Pakistani Muslim men grooming young girls into sexual exploitation in many towns across the country.
While on the face of it this is not institutional child trafficking, allegations that may create an element of institutional complicity include:
Allegations that police officers were paid to turn a blind eye to criminal wrongdoing
Allegations that children who were known to social services were deliberately exposed to grooming gangs by the care system
Allegations that Labour politicians in the affected area did not want to pursue the perpetrators fearing adverse electoral impacts, and because Labour politicians were implicated
The fact that the institutional response to the systematic rape, abuse and even murder of young girls has been slow, with many perpetrators still at large and no support provided to many victims. This was recognised by former UK Prime Minister Theresa May in her book Abuse of Power.
Adult social care
The risks of trafficking adults in the social care system via the family courts and Court of Protection are very similar to those faced by children. The elderly, adults with special educational needs and disabilities and complex healthcare needs can become institutionalised against their will and against the wishes of their families. There appear to be financial drivers for this, again through profit-oriented social care facilities.
Other risk factors are:
Individuals involved in the social care system, including judges, with personal and professional links to medical research companies and organisations involved with transplantation and blood collection
Individuals in positions of power, such as social workers, who may be able to access the property and financial assets of adults placed under guardianship orders.
As with children’s social care there are frequent reports in the media of poor care provided by these facilities, and of people in their care being subjected to abuse.
Legalised Euthanasia
Related to the risks for adults in social care is the risk that legalising assisted suicide for human beings, which is happening in an increasing number of countries and is set to become law in the UK following a bill rushed through Parliament, may incentivise unscrupulous healthcare professionals to fast-track adults into euthanasia rather than offering them care which may enable them to live a long and healthy life.
This practice could make available a much-increased supply of organs from relatively young people. There is a high risk of corruption which could see people coerced into death against their will.
Surrogacy and other forms of assisted reproduction
Surrogacy is a practice which commercialises pregnancy and childbirth, commoditises human beings and puts women and children at extreme risk of exploitation.
There are far fewer background checks on people seeking to procure children through surrogacy than through adoption, which is already enormously vulnerable to corruption and frequently leads to the abuse and exploitation of the child.
Surrogacy arrangements are laundered through the family courts, which are already the cause for concern due to highly unethical and unlawful practices. The Hague Conference on Private International Law, which campaigners believe to be laundering child trafficking through its private international family laws, is developing draft legislation for what it explicitly calls the “international surrogacy business”.
Innovations in assisted reproductive methods indicate that we risk a future where babies are grown in various ways and sold into uncertain futures. Campaigners are therefore calling for the abolition of surrogacy worldwide.
In all of these forms of trafficking, we are concerned by the epidemic rates of sexual abuse and drug use. We consider that organised criminals are procuring people for exploitation in many forms. These networks include “elite” individuals involved in politics, the entertainment industry and the justice system itself. Again, there have been many instances of such scandals throughout history.
Trafficking through immigration procedures
As a collective of parents impacted by family courts we do not understand as much about this form of trafficking, but we do have connections with people who are more familiar with this form of trafficking and can find out more. We are certain that they would be keen to join an anti-trafficking initiative.
Examples:
In the USA Tara Lee Rodas and her colleagues became whistleblowers testifying that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had become a middleman in the trafficking and exploitation of children. This transcript of a 2023 Congress hearing illustrates the scale of the problem, with more than 83,000 children confirmed missing. This video of another hearing held in November 2024 is worth watching in its entirety.
In the United Kingdom it has been documented that hundreds of unaccompanied minors have been disappearing from hotel accommodation where they were unlawfully placed by immigration services.
What we can do
We are joining in strategic and planning work with grassroots anti-trafficking organisations in Africa and worldwide to combat institutional and underground human trafficking.
We will take part in global public awareness campaigns.
We believe that we need an integrated global approach to co-production reformed systems with survivors and root out international trafficking networks.
Family Court Crisis is a collective of parents, not an NGO. We are a grassroots organisation concerned with stopping profiteering at the expense of children and families. We are based in Britain but our members include people with diverse racial, ethnic and national heritages.
We condemn all forms of human exploitation worldwide and consider all forms of trafficking a continuation of the slave trade.
We are building coalitions of support. We aim to create an umbrella organisation for families across the UK and worldwide who have been touched by institutional human trafficking.
We are building links with campaigners against surrogacy, prostitution and pornography, child trafficking and child criminal exploitation, exploitation in adult social care and legalised euthanasia.
We are building links with anti-corruption campaigners and whistleblowers, investigative journalists, academics, professionals, faith leaders and concerned politicians.
We welcome collaboration, growth and international solidarity as the key to combating the powerful lobbies that have led to the increasing enslavement of humankind.
Appendix
Examples of the institutional trafficking of children and adults
1. The Irish Mother and Baby Homes Scandal
Overview: Irish Mother and Baby Homes operated during the 20th century as institutions for unwed mothers and their children. Many of these homes were run by Catholic religious orders and funded or supported by the state. Women were often forced to give up their children for adoption, and both mothers and children endured abusive conditions.
Key Revelations: In 2017, a mass grave containing the remains of hundreds of children was discovered at a home in Tuam, County Galway. Investigations revealed systemic neglect, abuse, and high infant mortality rates.
Outcome: The 2021 Mother and Baby Homes Report confirmed decades of mistreatment. The Irish government apologised and committed to reparations and memorialisation efforts. Yet many survivors remain excluded from reparations or are still awaiting compensation payments.
2. The Casa Pia Scandal (Portugal)
Overview: The Casa Pia orphanage system in Portugal became the center of a major child abuse scandal in the early 2000s. For decades, children in state care were subjected to sexual exploitation and trafficking by powerful figures, including politicians and celebrities.
State Involvement: Whistleblowers alleged complicity and cover-ups by officials responsible for protecting the children.
Outcome: Several high-profile individuals, including a former ambassador and a television presenter, were convicted in 2010. The scandal exposed systemic failures in protecting vulnerable children.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/nov/21/childprotection.uk
3. Operation Babylift (Vietnam/US)
Overview: During the final days of the Vietnam War in 1975, the U.S. organized Operation Babylift, evacuating thousands of Vietnamese children to adoptive families in Western countries. While the operation was framed as a humanitarian effort, many children were not orphans, and there were cases of coercion and fraud.
Controversy: Allegations surfaced that children were taken without parental consent, and the chaotic evacuation process led to numerous fatalities, including a plane crash that killed over 130 people.
Outcome: The operation remains controversial, highlighting issues of cultural erasure and unethical adoption practices.
https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/daughter-operation-babylift-1975/
4. Foster Care in Berlin in the 20th Century
Overview: Between the 1960s and 1980s, Berlin's foster care system placed children with known pedophiles under the guidance of Helmut Kentler, a prominent sexologist. Kentler claimed that placing children with pedophiles would help them develop more stable lives.
State Involvement: The placements were approved by Berlin’s authorities, and the abuse persisted for decades.
Outcome: A 2020 investigation confirmed the state’s complicity. Survivors have since demanded accountability and reparations.
5. Nazi Era Programmes: Lebensborn
Overview: Lebensborn ("Fount of Life") was a Nazi programme established in 1935 to promote the growth of an "Aryan" population. The programme facilitated the birth of children from SS officers and "racially pure" women, often in secret facilities. It also involved the kidnapping of thousands of children from occupied territories who were deemed racially desirable.
State Involvement: Lebensborn was directly administered by the SS and received significant support from Nazi officials.
Outcome: After World War II, the programme was widely condemned, but many victims faced lifelong stigmatization and struggled to trace their origins.
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/lebensborn-program
6. Jimmy Savile Scandal (UK)
Overview: Jimmy Savile, a celebrated BBC presenter and philanthropist, was revealed after his death in 2011 to have been a prolific sexual predator. He abused hundreds of victims, many of whom were children, in hospitals, schools, and institutions where he volunteered.
Institutional Failures: Numerous institutions, including the BBC and the NHS, ignored or covered up allegations against Savile during his lifetime.
Outcome: The scandal led to multiple investigations, including the Savile Inquiry, which exposed systemic failings in protecting vulnerable individuals from predatory figures.
7. Romania's Adoption Scandals (1990s)
Overview: After the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu, Romania became infamous for trafficking children through illegal adoptions. Many orphanages were overcrowded, and children were sold to foreign families.
State Involvement: Corrupt officials facilitated or turned a blind eye to the trafficking of children under the guise of legal adoptions.
Outcome: International pressure led Romania to ban international adoptions in 2004, though concerns about trafficking persist.
8. Haiti Post-Earthquake Scandals (2010)
Overview: After the 2010 earthquake, vulnerable children in Haiti became targets of traffickers posing as aid workers. Some were abducted or "adopted" illegally by foreign organisations.
State Involvement: Corrupt local officials issued fraudulent documents facilitating child trafficking. Some NGOs, like the group led by Laura Silsby, faced scrutiny for attempting to smuggle children across borders.
Outcome: Greater regulation of international adoptions was implemented, but systemic issues remain.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Life_Children%27s_Refuge_case
9. Clergy-Run Institutions, Workhouses and Baby Farms (Global)
Overview: Throughout the 20th century, reports emerged of children being trafficked, sometimes through clergy-run institutions, including "baby farms" in Ireland and forced adoptions in Spain and Australia.
Institutional Role: Church officials colluded with state authorities to separate children from their mothers, often under coercion or deceit. Many were placed in abusive environments.
Outcome: Numerous investigations and apologies from church authorities. Governments have issued compensation and opened inquiries, though full accountability remains elusive.
10. Qatar and FIFA World Cup Labor Scandals (2020s)
Overview: Migrant workers, primarily from South Asia, were trafficked into forced labor conditions to build infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
State Involvement: The Qatari government and companies were accused of exploiting the kafala system, which traps workers in abusive employment contracts.
Outcome: International criticism led to labor reforms, but enforcement remains a challenge, and abuses persist.
https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/06/16/qatar-six-months-post-world-cup-migrant-workers-suffer
11. Jeffrey Epstein Case (US/International)
Overview: Wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein orchestrated a trafficking network that sexually exploited minors. He provided access to powerful individuals, including politicians and royalty, on his private properties and jet ("Lolita Express").
Institutional Failures: Epstein's 2008 plea deal in Florida, brokered by federal prosecutors, allowed him to serve only 13 months in a county jail with special privileges. Allegations suggest complicity or negligence by law enforcement and prosecutors.
Outcome: Epstein was rearrested in 2019 but died in custody under suspicious circumstances. Investigations into his network and associates continue.
https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/press-release/file/1180481/dl
12. Belgium's Dutroux Affair (1990s)
Overview: Marc Dutroux, a convicted pedophile, abducted, abused, and murdered children in Belgium. He was able to evade scrutiny for years due to apparent systemic failures.
State Involvement: Accusations of police incompetence and alleged connections between Dutroux and high-ranking officials led to public outrage. Many believed he was part of a larger trafficking network involving elites.
Outcome: The case led to mass protests, reforms in Belgium's judicial and law enforcement systems, and questions about institutional accountability.
13. Canada: The Residential Schools and the Sixties Scoop
Overview: In Canada, the forced removal of Indigenous children from their families occurred through two major systems: the residential school system (from the 1880s to the 1990s) and the Sixties Scoop (1950s–1980s). These efforts aimed to assimilate Indigenous children into Euro-Canadian culture by severing their ties to their families, languages, and traditions.
Residential Schools
Details: Operated by the Canadian government in collaboration with Christian churches, residential schools forcibly removed Indigenous children from their families. The children were often subjected to physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, and many died due to neglect and poor conditions.
Impact: Approximately 150,000 Indigenous children were forced into these schools. The trauma has had lasting intergenerational effects on Indigenous communities.
Outcome: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in 2015 documented the abuses and called it "cultural genocide." In 2021, unmarked graves of hundreds of children were discovered at former school sites, reigniting public awareness and demands for justice.
The Sixties Scoop
Details: From the 1950s to the 1980s, social services forcibly removed tens of thousands of Indigenous children from their families, placing them in non-Indigenous foster homes or adoption, often without parental consent.
Impact: Many children lost their cultural identity and suffered abuse in their new environments. Families were torn apart, and Indigenous communities continue to fight for recognition and reparations.
Outcome: The Canadian government has issued apologies and offered financial compensation to some survivors, but many argue that modern child welfare systems continue similar practices.
14. Switzerland: The Verdingkinder System
Overview: In Switzerland, a system known as Verdingkinder (contract children) subjected thousands of children—many from impoverished or socially marginalised families—to forced labor from the 19th century until the 1970s. Although not explicitly targeting Indigenous groups, Romani (Yenish) children were disproportionately affected.
State Involvement: Children were taken from their families by Swiss authorities under the pretext of "child protection" or because their parents were deemed unfit. They were placed with foster families, farms, or institutions where they often faced abuse, neglect, and exploitation as cheap labor.
Impact on Romani (Yenish) Children: Romani (Yenish) families were targeted under a state-endorsed campaign by the Pro Juventute foundation, which sought to assimilate Yenish children into Swiss society. From 1926 to 1973, Pro Juventute forcibly removed over 600 children from their families, placing them in abusive foster homes or institutions.
Outcome: Survivors have called for justice, and Switzerland formally apologized for the Verdingkinder practices in 2013. Efforts to provide compensation and memorialisation have followed, but many survivors feel the response has been inadequate.
15. UN Brothels in the Balkans
Overview: During the 1990s and early 2000s, in the aftermath of the Yugoslav Wars, allegations surfaced that United Nations peacekeepers and international staff in the Balkans were involved in human trafficking and the exploitation of women and girls in forced prostitution. These women were often trafficked from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union into the Balkans.
Details of Abuse:
Women and girls were trafficked to brothels and forced into sexual slavery under conditions of coercion, violence, and abuse.
Some UN personnel, contractors, and private security firms tasked with peacekeeping or reconstruction efforts were implicated in using and facilitating these brothels.
Local traffickers collaborated with international staff, who were often shielded by diplomatic immunity.
State and Institutional Failures:
The UN’s immunity clauses prevented many of the accused from being prosecuted in local courts, leading to widespread perceptions of impunity.
Investigative reports, including one by Human Rights Watch, criticized the lack of accountability for peacekeepers involved in trafficking networks.
Key Cases:
In 2001, a UN police officer from Bosnia blew the whistle on sex trafficking involving UN employees. Kathryn Bolkovac, a UN International Police Task Force officer, exposed the complicity of international staff in trafficking rings, leading to the scandal being publicised globally.
The 2002 film The Whistleblower was based on Bolkovac's experiences and highlighted the issue of immunity shielding perpetrators.
Impact:
The scandal damaged the credibility of UN peacekeeping missions and raised questions about the organisation’s ability to police its own personnel.
It also spotlighted the broader issue of exploitation and abuse in conflict zones where peacekeepers and international staff are stationed.
Outcome:
The UN introduced stricter anti-trafficking measures and codes of conduct for peacekeepers in the early 2000s.
However, critics argue that enforcement remains weak, and abuses by peacekeepers in other regions have since been reported.
Examples of medical experimentation on children in institutional settings
The use of institutionalised children in medical experiments is one of the darker chapters in the history of medicine and public institutions. Here are some notable examples:
1. Nazi Medical Experiments (Germany, 1930s–1940s)
Overview: During the Nazi regime, institutionalised children, particularly those with disabilities or from marginalised groups (e.g., Jewish, Roma), were subjected to inhumane medical experiments in concentration camps and psychiatric institutions.
Experiments: These included experiments on sterilisation, hypothermia, infectious diseases, and toxic substances. At institutions like the Spiegelgrund clinic in Vienna, children were killed to study their brains and bodies.
Outcome: After the war, the Nuremberg Trials prosecuted some of the doctors involved, leading to the development of the Nuremberg Code, which established ethical guidelines for human experimentation.
2. Willowbrook Hepatitis Experiments (USA, 1950s–1970s)
Overview: At the Willowbrook State School, a New York institution for children with intellectual disabilities, researchers deliberately infected children with hepatitis to study the disease’s progression and test treatments.
Justification: Researchers argued that hepatitis was already widespread in the institution and claimed parental consent was obtained, though many parents felt coerced into participation.
Outcome: The experiments were widely criticised for their ethics and contributed to public outcry over the mistreatment of institutionalised individuals.
3. Fernald School Radiation Experiments (USA, 1940s–1950s)
Overview: At the Fernald State School in Massachusetts, researchers from MIT and Harvard gave institutionalised children radioactive substances in their food and milk to study the absorption of minerals like iron and calcium.
Consent Issues: Children and their families were not informed about the radioactive elements; the experiments were presented as part of a "science club."
Outcome: In the 1990s, survivors sued the government and institutions involved. A settlement was reached, and the case became a landmark in exposing unethical research practices.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/spoonful-sugar-helps-radioactive-oatmeal-go-down-180962424/
4. Bessborough Mother and Baby Home Vaccine Trials (Ireland, 1930s–1970s)
Overview: In Irish Mother and Baby Homes, children were used in vaccine trials without proper consent. These homes housed unwed mothers and their children, who were often seen as expendable by society.
Experiments: Pharmaceutical companies conducted trials for vaccines, including diphtheria and polio, on children without informing their mothers.
Outcome: The trials were revealed during investigations into the treatment of women and children in these homes. Survivors and advocates have called for accountability and reparations.
5. Quebec’s Duplessis Orphans (Canada, 1940s–1950s)
Overview: Thousands of children in Quebec, many falsely labeled as orphans, were subjected to psychiatric experiments and tests, including electroshock therapy and the administration of experimental drugs.
State Involvement: The Catholic Church and the Quebec government were complicit, as they reclassified children as mentally ill to increase federal funding for psychiatric institutions.
Outcome: Survivors have fought for recognition and compensation, with some settlements reached in the early 2000s.
https://historyofrights.ca/encyclopaedia/main-events/duplessis-orphans/
6. "Monster Study" (USA, 1939)
Overview: At an orphanage in Iowa, Wendell Johnson, a speech pathologist, conducted an experiment on 22 children to study the effects of positive versus negative reinforcement on stuttering.
Experiments: Children in the negative reinforcement group were criticised and discouraged from speaking, causing long-term psychological harm.
Outcome: The study’s ethical violations were widely condemned after they came to light. Survivors sought compensation in 2007, leading to a settlement from the University of Iowa.
Organ trafficking
The exploitation of vulnerable individuals for their blood or organs is a grave violation of human rights. Below are notable examples:
1. The "Plasma Economy" in Henan, China (1990s)
Overview: In rural Henan Province, poor farmers were exploited in a state-sanctioned scheme where they sold their blood to unregulated collection centres. Unsafe practices, such as pooling and reusing needles, caused a widespread HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Vulnerability: Poverty-stricken individuals were lured into selling their blood multiple times to supplement their incomes.
Outcome: The scandal led to hundreds of thousands of infections and deaths. The government suppressed information for years before acknowledging the crisis, and survivors continue to seek justice.
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhae/article/PIIS2352-3026(17)30183-7/fulltext
2. Kosovo Organ Trafficking (1999)
Overview: During the Kosovo War, allegations emerged that members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) harvested organs from Serbian prisoners. Victims were reportedly taken to secret locations where organs were removed and sold on the black market.
State Involvement: A 2011 Council of Europe report implicated senior KLA leaders, alleging they operated organ-harvesting facilities under the guise of humanitarian work.
Outcome: Investigations by the EU and other bodies are ongoing, but no one has been fully held accountable.
3. India: Kidney Trafficking Scandals (2000s–Present)
Overview: India has a long history of kidney trafficking, with poor and vulnerable individuals being coerced or tricked into selling their organs. Middlemen often promise financial compensation or job opportunities but fail to deliver.
Exploitation: Victims are often illiterate labourers who do not fully understand the medical or legal consequences of the surgeries.
Outcome: While police have cracked down on organ trafficking rings, the practice continues due to high demand and inadequate enforcement of laws.
https://time.com/archive/6942449/indias-black-market-organ-scandal/
4. The "Blood Farms" in Cambodia and Vietnam
Overview: In the 2010s, reports revealed that impoverished Cambodian and Vietnamese men were trafficked to blood farms in China, where they were forced to donate blood repeatedly under abusive conditions.
Exploitation: Traffickers preyed on job-seeking men and kept them confined, extracting blood up to two or three times a month. Many suffered severe health issues as a result.
Outcome: Law enforcement has begun cracking down on these operations, but the practice persists in some regions.
5. Black Market Organ Trafficking in Egypt
Overview: Egypt is a hub for organ trafficking, where refugees, migrants, and impoverished individuals are exploited. Victims are coerced or misled into selling their kidneys or livers, often for a fraction of the promised payment.
Exploitation: Many traffickers target migrants fleeing conflict, particularly from Sudan and Syria, who are desperate for money or safe passage.
Outcome: Despite some arrests and policy reforms, organ trafficking remains a significant problem due to corruption and lack of enforcement.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Human_organ_trafficking_in_Egypt
6. South Africa: Netcare Scandal (2001–2003)
Overview: South Africa’s largest private hospital group, Netcare, was implicated in illegal organ transplants. Organs were sourced from Brazilian donors, who were coerced or paid minimal amounts, and transplanted into wealthy foreign patients.
Exploitation: The donors were often impoverished individuals from Brazil and Eastern Europe, misled about the health risks and offered little compensation.
Outcome: Netcare admitted to wrongdoing in 2010 and paid a fine, but no significant reforms were implemented.
7. Falun Gong and Alleged Organ Harvesting in China (2000s–Present)
Overview: Multiple reports and investigations allege that prisoners of conscience, including members of the Falun Gong spiritual movement and Uyghur Muslims, are being killed for their organs in China. Evidence includes transplant wait times far shorter than international norms and testimonies from former prisoners.
State Involvement: The Chinese government denies these allegations, but human rights organisations claim the practice is state-sponsored and driven by high demand for transplants.
Outcome: The international community continues to press for independent investigations, though access to Chinese facilities remains restricted.
8. Organ Harvesting from Migrants in Libya (2010s–Present)
Overview: Migrants transiting through Libya on their way to Europe are often detained by traffickers who extort money from their families. Those who cannot pay are reportedly killed, and their organs sold on the black market.
Exploitation: Victims are typically sub-Saharan Africans fleeing conflict and poverty, making them highly vulnerable.
Outcome: International agencies like the UN have documented these abuses, but the chaotic situation in Libya makes intervention challenging.
These cases highlight the exploitation of marginalised populations for profit, often with complicity or negligence by state and institutional actors. Addressing such atrocities requires stronger international enforcement mechanisms and better protection for vulnerable individuals.
Human trafficking in the Balkans
A 2023 scandal found that more than 120 individuals from DR Congo had been trafficked to Croatia, although the authorities still claim these were regular adoptions.
Now that some Balkan countries are EU members within the Schengen area, this enables the free flow of trafficked individuals over porous borders in highly corrupt states into Western markets.
Below are some notable instances of human trafficking in the Balkan region over the last 100 years:
1. Balkan Wars and World War II (1910s–1940s)
Overview: During the Balkan Wars (1912–1913) and World War II (1939–1945), the region saw large-scale displacement, with many women and children falling victim to human trafficking. Both military and paramilitary groups took advantage of the chaos to abduct people for forced labor, sexual slavery, and exploitation.
Nazi Occupation: Under Nazi occupation during World War II, many Jewish and Roma women and children were forcibly relocated or trafficked for forced labor or sexual exploitation. The Nazis also ran concentration camps and brothels where vulnerable individuals were used for sexual slavery.
2. The 1990s Yugoslav Wars and Ethnic Cleansing (1990s)
Overview: The collapse of Yugoslavia during the 1990s, coupled with the wars that followed, created a perfect storm for human trafficking. War-torn Bosnia, Croatia, and Kosovo were rife with violence, displacement, and insecurity, which traffickers exploited to recruit and exploit women, children, and refugees.
Sex Trafficking: Many women, particularly from Bosnia and Kosovo, were trafficked into sexual slavery in Western Europe and the Middle East. Women and girls were often abducted, sold, or coerced into prostitution.
Ethnic Cleansing and Kidnapping: During the ethnic conflicts, large numbers of women and children were abducted, trafficked, and used for forced marriages or sexual exploitation.
Key Events: In Kosovo, after the war, there were widespread reports of human trafficking networks operating with the complicity of local and international actors, including UN peacekeepers.
3. Kosovo War (1999) - Operation "Babylift" and Sex Trafficking
Overview: The Kosovo War resulted in mass displacement of ethnic Albanians, many of whom were vulnerable to exploitation by traffickers.
Human Trafficking Networks: During and after the conflict, trafficking networks exploited the chaos. Women and children were trafficked into forced prostitution and labor, particularly in the Balkans and in Western Europe.
UN Involvement: Allegations arose that some international peacekeepers in Kosovo were involved in or facilitated the trafficking of women for sex. These allegations became widely known as part of a broader issue of sexual exploitation within peacekeeping missions.
4. The Trafficking of Women in Albania (1990s–2000s)
Overview: Following the fall of communism in the early 1990s, Albania became a source, transit, and destination country for trafficking. Women and girls were trafficked for sexual exploitation, often sold to brothels in Western Europe, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
Trafficking Routes: Traffickers lured young women with promises of work or better opportunities abroad, only for them to be forced into sexual slavery. The human trafficking networks often operated with the collusion of corrupt government officials, police, and local gangs.
Government Response: In the early 2000s, Albania became a focal point for international anti-trafficking initiatives. However, despite efforts, trafficking remained a persistent problem.
5. Bulgaria and Romania: Trafficking to Western Europe (1990s–Present)
Overview: After the fall of communism, Bulgaria and Romania became major sources of trafficked persons, particularly women and children, who were often exploited for sexual slavery in Western Europe.
Trafficking Networks: Organised crime groups profited from luring or kidnapping women and children with promises of work, only to force them into prostitution or sexual exploitation.
Romanian Trafficking: Romania, in particular, became a significant source of trafficked women, often tricked into moving to Italy, Spain, and France, where they were forced into the sex trade. According to various reports, women were often coerced through psychological manipulation or violence.
EU and NATO Action: Both Romania and Bulgaria's entry into the EU in 2007 brought attention to the issue, and international law enforcement collaborations were ramped up. However, trafficking persists, albeit at reduced levels, thanks to tougher legislation and more proactive police work.
6. Human Trafficking and Migrant Exploitation in the Balkans (2010s–Present)
Overview: The migration crisis that began in the early 2010s, with large numbers of refugees and migrants attempting to reach Western Europe from the Middle East, North Africa, and beyond, further fuelled human trafficking in the Balkans.
Vulnerable Migrants: Migrants passing through countries like Serbia, Bosnia, and Montenegro were at great risk of exploitation by traffickers, who offered false promises of safe passage to the European Union.
Types of Exploitation: Women and children were trafficked into sex slavery, while others were exploited for forced labor in the construction, agriculture, and domestic service sectors.
Smuggling Networks: Human traffickers often worked in tandem with migrant smuggling rings, profiting from the precarious status of migrants and the lack of strong border control or protection systems in the region.
Efforts and Challenges: Despite efforts from EU border agencies like Frontex and national authorities in the Balkans, trafficking networks continue to thrive due to corruption, limited resources, and the ongoing instability in the region.
7. Human Trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2000s–Present)
Overview: Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) continues to be a transit and destination country for trafficking victims. Traffickers exploit women and children from BiH, as well as from neighbouring countries like Serbia and Kosovo, for sex and labor trafficking.
Organised Crime and Corruption: Corruption within the police and local government structures has allowed trafficking to persist in Bosnia, with traffickers often targeting young women from impoverished areas.
International Response: Bosnia has taken steps to address trafficking, including creating a national action plan, but enforcement remains inconsistent, and trafficking is still a significant problem.
Organ trafficking in the Balkans
Concerned families and campaigners in the Balkans fear that the spectre of organ trafficking has once again reared its head, this time with the blessing of institutions such as the courts, hospitals and social services.
Organ trafficking has been a persistent and severe issue in the Balkans, with numerous cases emerging over the last 100 years, often tied to the region's political instability, conflicts, and economic challenges. Below are some notable instances of organ trafficking in the Balkans:
1. Kosovo War and Alleged Organ Harvesting (1999)
Overview: One of the most notorious cases of organ trafficking in the Balkans involved allegations of organ harvesting during and after the Kosovo War in 1999. These claims emerged in the context of the conflict and the chaotic aftermath.
The Allegations: Reports, including a 2011 Council of Europe report led by Dick Marty, suggested that members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) were involved in abducting ethnic Serb prisoners and harvesting their organs. Victims were allegedly taken to secret facilities in Albania, where their organs were removed and sold on the black market.
Outcome: The claims were controversial, with some dismissing them as exaggerated or politically motivated, but others, including human rights organizations, supported the allegations. An investigation by the EU Special Investigative Task Force in 2014 concluded that the evidence was insufficient for prosecuting those involved in the alleged organ trafficking.
International Response: The allegations have remained a point of contention in diplomatic relations between Kosovo, Serbia, and international bodies, leading to further investigations and legal actions.
2. "Organ Trafficking Rings" in Albania (2000s)
Overview: Albania, particularly in the early 2000s, was implicated in several cases of organ trafficking. Criminal organisations took advantage of Albania’s weak rule of law and economic instability to run illegal organ transplant operations.
The Trafficking Networks: The victims were often from impoverished regions in Albania, or from countries like Turkey, Moldova, and Romania. They were reportedly promised large sums of money for selling their kidneys, but were deceived and left without compensation. The organs were sold to wealthy patients from the Middle East and Europe.
Key Case - "The Case of the Israeli Organ Traffickers": In 2008, a high-profile case in Albania involved an Israeli organ trafficking ring. The group was accused of luring individuals to Albania under false pretences, performing illegal kidney transplants, and then selling the organs to wealthy Israeli and other international clients. Several doctors, including a prominent Albanian surgeon, were implicated in the scandal.
Outcome: In 2013, Albanian authorities arrested several individuals connected to this trafficking ring. While some individuals were convicted, the full scope of the operation was never fully unraveled.
3. Organ Trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina (2000s–2010s)
Overview: Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has faced a number of allegations related to organ trafficking, particularly in the post-war period. Bosnia's economic challenges, lack of oversight, and the legacy of conflict made it vulnerable to organized crime groups involved in illegal organ trading.
The Allegations: In the 2000s, reports emerged of individuals being recruited to sell their organs, often under duress or through false promises. Several cases were reported where individuals, including refugees, were coerced into selling their kidneys for small amounts of money. These organs were then transplanted into wealthy recipients from the Middle East or Western Europe.
Key Incident - 2008 Investigations: In 2008, authorities in Bosnia began investigating a series of suspicious organ transplant operations, particularly in Sarajevo, after a few individuals came forward with information about black-market organ sales. The investigations revealed that several hospitals and private clinics were involved in conducting illegal transplant surgeries.
Outcome: Despite these investigations, no high-level prosecutions have resulted, and the issue of organ trafficking in Bosnia remains a significant concern.
4. Bulgaria: Organ Trafficking in the 2000s
Overview: Bulgaria, like its Balkan neighbours, has been a source, transit, and destination country for organ trafficking. The illegal trade flourished in the early 2000s, particularly involving victims from poor or marginalized communities.
The Exploitation: Organ trafficking rings operated both within the country and internationally, often targeting vulnerable individuals such as those living in poverty, refugees, and migrants. The trafficked individuals were typically promised large sums of money in exchange for kidneys, but they often received far less or nothing at all.
Key Case - The 2009 Bulgarian Organ Trafficking Case: In 2009, a large-scale organ trafficking case was uncovered involving Bulgarian medical professionals and Israeli middlemen. The traffickers were accused of exploiting poor Bulgarian citizens by convincing them to sell their kidneys. The organs were then transplanted into patients in Israel and other countries. The police operation led to the arrest of several individuals, including doctors and organ brokers.
Outcome: This case prompted Bulgarian authorities to strengthen laws and penalties related to organ trafficking, but the practice persists in some areas, especially involving neighbouring countries.
5. Romania: Organ Trafficking and Smuggling (2000s–Present)
Overview: Romania has been a source of trafficked organs, particularly kidneys, for illegal transplant networks. Poor, marginalised individuals, including those from rural areas or impoverished backgrounds, have been targeted by traffickers who offer to arrange kidney transplants in exchange for money.
The Exploitation: Romanian victims are often taken to countries like Turkey or Israel, where illegal transplant surgeries take place. In some cases, people are abducted and trafficked without their consent.
Key Incident - 2010 Organ Trafficking Case: In 2010, Romanian authorities broke up an organ trafficking ring that involved individuals being recruited to sell their kidneys to international recipients. The network operated by recruiting donors through advertisements and personal networks, exploiting economic vulnerabilities to coerce people into selling their organs. The organs were sold for up to $100,000 each.
Outcome: Romanian authorities have made several arrests over the years, and some international cooperation has occurred to curb trafficking. However, organ trafficking remains an ongoing issue in Romania, particularly due to the high demand for organs and insufficient resources to combat organised crime.
6. Serbia: Allegations of Organ Trafficking in the 2000s
Overview: Serbia, like other countries in the Balkans, has faced allegations of organ trafficking, particularly in the aftermath of the Yugoslav Wars and amid ongoing economic difficulties.
The Exploitation: Victims were reportedly lured with promises of financial compensation for donating kidneys, only to find themselves subjected to illegal transplant operations. These operations often occurred in unregulated private clinics.
Outcome: While there have been numerous reports and investigations, particularly regarding traffickers operating between Serbia and Albania, Serbia has struggled to fully address the issue due to corruption, lack of transparency, and limited enforcement.
7. Croatia: Post-War Organ Trafficking (1990s–2000s)
Overview: Following the Croatian War of Independence in the 1990s, several cases of illegal organ trafficking were reported. War-induced instability, combined with economic hardship, led to an environment ripe for exploitation.
The Allegations: Victims were often from disadvantaged backgrounds, and some reports suggested that prisoners of war or refugees were targeted for organ harvesting. The organs were then sold to wealthy patients in Europe, the Middle East, or the United States.
Outcome: Croatian authorities have investigated some of these cases, but there has been limited success in prosecuting traffickers, and the full extent of the trafficking remains unclear.
These instances illustrate the ongoing problem of organ trafficking in the Balkans, exacerbated by economic instability, weak rule of law, corruption, and political upheaval. Despite international efforts and stronger national laws, organ trafficking continues to be a challenge in the region.
Thefts of babies from hospitals in Europe
Over the last 100 years, Europe has seen several instances of organised criminal gangs involved in the theft of babies from hospitals, often for illicit adoption, trafficking, or exploitation. These cases have spanned multiple countries, and the criminal networks behind them were often highly organised, profiting from illegal adoptions or other exploitative practices. Below are some notable instances:
1. Spain - "The Stolen Babies Scandal" (1930s–1990s)
Overview: One of the largest and most notorious baby theft scandals in Europe occurred in Spain, where, for decades, babies were stolen from hospitals and sold through illegal adoption networks. These abductions were often carried out with the collusion of medical professionals, nuns, and other officials.
The Criminal Network: The thefts took place during and after the Franco regime (1939–1975) and continued into the 1980s and 1990s. Babies were taken from mothers, sometimes during childbirth, and sold to wealthy families who could not have children, often without the birth parents’ knowledge or consent.
Motive: Many of these illegal adoptions were conducted with the active participation of doctors, nuns, and hospital staff, who profited from selling the babies. The regime also targeted political dissidents, taking their children and placing them with loyalist families.
Outcome: In the 2010s, Spanish authorities began to investigate the widespread baby thefts after growing public pressure and testimonies from those affected. Thousands of families came forward claiming their babies had been stolen. In 2020, Spanish authorities began prosecuting individuals involved in these crimes.
Impact: The scandal affected an estimated 300,000 children over several decades. Many victims are still seeking justice and answers, and the case remains a dark chapter in Spain's history.
2. Italy - "The Baby Stealing Scandal" (1950s–1970s)
Overview: In Italy, similar baby-stealing networks operated, primarily between the 1950s and 1970s, in which children were abducted from hospitals and sold for illegal adoptions or to families who paid for a baby.
The Criminal Network: The theft of babies often involved doctors, nurses, and clergy members who worked with organised criminal gangs. Children born to unmarried mothers, the poor, or those in difficult circumstances were particularly vulnerable to being stolen.
Motive: Babies were sold to wealthy couples, often without any legal documentation, and were trafficked across the country or even internationally, particularly to the United States.
Outcome: The issue was only publicly acknowledged in the late 1990s when investigations began to uncover the scale of the operation. In 1998, a landmark investigation led by journalist Giulia Galeotti uncovered widespread illegal adoptions and trafficking networks. While some perpetrators were convicted, many families are still seeking justice, and the full scope of the scandal remains unclear.
Impact: It is estimated that hundreds of children were stolen and sold during this period. The scandal continues to haunt Italian society, with many victims still seeking information about their biological parents.
3. France - The "Baby Trafficking Network" (1950s–1970s)
Overview: France, during the post-war period, also saw baby theft networks, particularly targeting babies born to unmarried women or those from impoverished backgrounds. These children were often stolen from hospitals or adoption homes and trafficked for illegal adoptions.
The Criminal Network: Hospitals, orphanages, and adoption agencies were complicit in these illegal adoptions. In some cases, babies were taken from mothers shortly after birth, with their consent being forged or misrepresented.
Motive: Babies were sold to adoptive parents, often wealthy families who were unable to conceive, without any legal paperwork or proper documentation. The victims were typically hidden under the guise of being “unwanted” or “abandoned.”
Outcome: Investigations into these practices began in the 1990s, and while some individuals were prosecuted, the scale of the operation remained difficult to fully quantify. A 2007 report confirmed that the French state had been complicit in many of these illegal adoptions. As of recent years, France has begun compensating the victims of these illegal adoptions.
Impact: The number of stolen children remains uncertain, but many individuals have come forward in the 21st century to search for their biological parents, highlighting the enduring impact of the scandal.
4. Greece - "Baby Theft for Adoption" (1970s–1980s)
Overview: In Greece, particularly during the 1970s and 1980s, baby theft was rampant, with babies being stolen from hospitals and sold for illegal adoptions. Many of the victims were children of unmarried women, migrant workers, or impoverished families.
The Criminal Network: Organised criminal gangs, often working with corrupt medical professionals, targeted vulnerable mothers. The babies were then sold to wealthy families, both within Greece and abroad, who wanted to adopt but were unable to go through official channels.
Motive: These criminal networks profited by bypassing official adoption systems and selling babies for large sums of money. The children were typically given false documentation, and many were raised without knowledge of their biological families.
Outcome: The Greek government began investigating these cases in the 1990s, but many of the criminals involved were not prosecuted. Public awareness of the issue only grew in the 2000s, when more victims and their families came forward.
Impact: It is believed that hundreds, if not thousands, of babies were stolen and trafficked for adoption. The legacy of these crimes continues to affect individuals who are now seeking to uncover the truth about their origins.
5. Ireland - "The Stolen Children of the Magdalene Laundries" (1940s–1980s)
Overview: In Ireland, babies were sometimes taken from mothers at institutions like the Magdalene Laundries and other religious-run homes, where women, often unmarried or in difficult circumstances, were forced to work in harsh conditions. Many of these women were pressured or forced to give up their babies for adoption, and in some cases, children were stolen outright.
The Criminal Network: While not always linked directly to organised crime, the illegal adoption networks involved nuns, doctors, and social workers, who facilitated the transfer of children to wealthy families, both within Ireland and abroad, without the consent of their biological mothers.
Motive: Babies were often sold for adoption, with the birth mothers having no say in the matter. The adoption process was frequently manipulated to bypass legal procedures, often under the guise of helping the children find homes.
Outcome: The issue of stolen children became more widely known in the 1990s and 2000s. Investigations have uncovered the widespread abuse and illegal adoptions carried out by the Catholic Church, and many people have sought legal redress for the theft of their children or their own adoptions.
Impact: It is believed that thousands of children were affected, and many individuals have been searching for their biological families for decades. In recent years, Ireland has taken steps to acknowledge and address the abuses of the Magdalene Laundries and other similar institutions.
6. Portugal - "Illegal Adoptions and Baby Theft Scandal" (1970s–1990s)
Overview: In Portugal, baby trafficking for illegal adoptions was reported in the 1970s and 1980s, often involving hospitals and adoption agencies in collusion with organized criminal gangs.
The Criminal Network: Criminal organisations worked with individuals within the health sector, particularly in maternity wards, to steal babies from mothers who were either unaware or coerced into giving them up. These babies were then sold to wealthy families for adoption, often with falsified paperwork.
Motive: The adoption racket operated for financial gain, with babies being sold to families, particularly those from outside Portugal, who were unable to adopt through legal channels.
Outcome: The extent of the trafficking was not fully revealed until the 2000s, when some victims and their families began to uncover the truth. Some investigations were launched, but many perpetrators were never brought to justice.
Impact: Hundreds, possibly thousands, of children were affected by the illegal adoptions in Portugal. Many people are still seeking answers and attempting to trace their biological families.
These cases reveal a disturbing pattern of organised criminal activity across Europe, where babies were stolen from hospitals and sold through illegal adoption networks. While many of these scandals have come to light in recent years, the full extent of these criminal operations and the number of affected individuals remains uncertain. The impact of these crimes continues to resonate with the victims, many of whom are still searching for their biological families.
Thefts of babies from hospitals in the former Yugoslavia
Organized criminal gangs involved in the theft of babies from hospitals in the former Yugoslavia is a subject that has gained increasing attention in recent years, especially in light of emerging cases and historical investigations. While comprehensive records of baby thefts specifically carried out by criminal gangs within Yugoslavia during the 20th century are limited, there are several well-documented instances, especially linked to the period following the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Below are some notable cases and patterns related to the theft of babies in the region:
1. Yugoslavia – 1970s–1980s: Illegal Adoptions and Baby Trafficking
Overview: During the 1970s and 1980s, there were widespread allegations of illegal adoptions and baby trafficking across the former Yugoslavia. Though many of these cases were not initially attributed to organised crime groups, investigations in the following decades revealed that corrupt practices involving medical professionals, orphanages, and adoption agencies were prevalent.
The Criminal Network: The criminal network involved hospitals, doctors, nurses, and other officials working in collusion with adoption agents who would falsify documents, forge birth certificates, and sell babies to wealthier families. Often, babies were taken from poor families, unwed mothers, or children born under difficult circumstances, and were sold to adoptive parents, sometimes in exchange for large sums of money.
Motive: These illegal adoptions were often done for financial gain, with doctors and adoption agents profiting from the transaction. Babies were typically sold to families who were either unable to conceive or looking to bypass the official adoption processes.
Outcome: The full extent of this practice only came to light in the 1990s when victims, now adults, began searching for their biological parents and discovering discrepancies in their adoption records. Some individuals have been involved in investigations to uncover the truth, although many cases remain unresolved.
Impact: Thousands of babies may have been affected by these illegal adoptions, though precise figures remain unclear. The practice continued into the 1990s, especially in the more impoverished regions of the former Yugoslavia.
2. Serbia and Montenegro – The "Stolen Babies" Scandal (1990s)
Overview: Following the breakup of Yugoslavia and the political instability in the 1990s, reports emerged in Serbia and Montenegro of a baby-trafficking network operating between hospitals and adoption agencies. The network involved organized criminal groups that stole babies, often under the guise of offering them for adoption, and sold them to wealthy families both within the region and abroad.
The Criminal Network: In this case, the criminal networks included medical staff, officials from hospitals, and adoption agents, working in conjunction with criminal gangs that profited from the trafficking of babies. Many of the babies were reportedly taken from mothers in hospitals without their consent, sometimes under false pretences (e.g., told that the babies had died).
Motive: The aim was to exploit vulnerable families, particularly single mothers or those living in poverty, and to sell their children for substantial sums of money. Some babies were trafficked to foreign countries, while others were sold within the country to wealthy individuals or couples who could not adopt through official channels.
Outcome: While some investigations were launched, the cases were often difficult to prosecute due to the lack of clear evidence and the involvement of numerous corrupt officials. In the 2000s, reports indicated that the scale of baby trafficking had been extensive in the 1990s.
Impact: The number of babies stolen in this period is difficult to determine, but estimates suggest that the network may have affected hundreds, if not thousands, of families. The victims of this scandal have been seeking justice, and some have been able to track down their biological parents.
3. Croatia – The "Baby Trafficking" Scandal (1990s–2000s)
Overview: In the 1990s and 2000s, Croatia became a hub for illegal adoptions and baby trafficking, particularly in the aftermath of the Croatian War of Independence. Similar to other parts of the former Yugoslavia, babies born to single mothers or impoverished families were frequently stolen from hospitals or coerced into giving up their children.
The Criminal Network: Organised criminal gangs worked with medical staff to steal babies, falsify documents, and facilitate illegal adoptions. Some babies were even sold to foreign couples, particularly in countries like Italy, Spain, and Israel, where demand for adoptive children was high.
Motive: These gangs profited from facilitating illegal adoptions. Some of the babies were taken without the mothers' consent, while others were coerced into giving up their children in exchange for promises of money or assistance.
Outcome: The Croatian authorities began investigating cases of illegal adoptions and baby trafficking in the early 2000s, leading to some arrests. However, the scale of the problem remains largely unknown. Many of the babies stolen during this time have been identified, but a significant number of individuals are still searching for answers about their true origins.
Impact: It is believed that the scandal affected hundreds of families across Croatia, with many of the stolen babies being adopted illegally abroad.
4. Bosnia and Herzegovina – Baby Theft for Adoption (1990s–2000s)
Overview: During and after the Bosnian War (1992–1995), Bosnia and Herzegovina became another country in the Balkans where criminal networks were involved in the theft of babies. Vulnerable populations, particularly refugees and women living in poverty, became targets for these trafficking rings.
The Criminal Network: Similar to other countries in the region, hospitals and orphanages were infiltrated by individuals working in organised crime. These individuals would steal babies from mothers, sometimes in the aftermath of war or during chaotic periods when families were displaced.
Motive: The babies were sold to wealthy individuals, often abroad, as part of a black-market adoption scheme. Many of the women whose children were stolen were either told their babies had died or were coerced into signing adoption papers.
Outcome: Investigations into baby trafficking in Bosnia and Herzegovina began in the 2000s, with some cases being brought to light by affected individuals who had been adopted illegally. However, legal action has been limited, and the full extent of the trafficking network remains unclear.
Impact: The number of babies affected by these criminal networks is difficult to determine, but many individuals in Bosnia and Herzegovina continue to search for their biological families, seeking justice for the thefts.
5. Macedonia – Baby Trafficking Scandal (1990s–2000s)
Overview: Similar to other parts of the former Yugoslavia, Macedonia experienced baby theft and trafficking during the 1990s and 2000s. Vulnerable mothers, particularly those from poor or marginalised communities, were targeted by criminal gangs who would steal their babies and sell them to adoptive parents.
The Criminal Network: Organised criminal groups operated across the region, including Macedonia, profiting from baby trafficking by working with hospital staff, orphanages, and illegal adoption agents. Babies were often taken from mothers at birth and sold to international buyers who sought to circumvent legal adoption processes.
Motive: The main motive was financial gain, with these organised networks making significant sums by facilitating illegal adoptions and selling babies to families in need of children.
Outcome: In the 2000s, investigations into these trafficking networks began, but many cases remain unresolved. Some victims have been able to find their biological families, but the full scale of the operation is still difficult to measure.
Impact: It is estimated that several hundred babies may have been affected by these criminal operations in Macedonia, but many cases are still being uncovered as individuals search for their true identities.
6. Kosovo – Baby Trafficking During and After the War (1990s–2000s)
Overview: Kosovo, during and after the conflict in the late 1990s, became a hotspot for trafficking, including the trafficking of babies. During the war, many families were displaced, and babies born under difficult circumstances were particularly vulnerable to abduction and trafficking.
The Criminal Network: Criminal organisations, often with connections to corrupt officials, facilitated the theft and illegal adoption of babies. Mothers, particularly refugees and women in war-torn regions, were targeted, and their babies were sold to wealthy families in Europe and the Middle East.
Motive: Similar to other regions, the criminal networks profited from illegal adoptions, with babies being sold for large sums to families who could not adopt legally.
Outcome: The full extent of the trafficking in Kosovo is not fully known, but the conflict and subsequent economic difficulties provided a fertile environment for baby trafficking. Some cases have been investigated in the years following the war, but many victims remain without answers.
Impact: The number of children affected by this baby theft scandal is uncertain, but it is believed that a significant number of babies were trafficked from Kosovo in the post-war period.
These instances reflect the disturbing pattern of organised criminal gangs operating in the Balkans, involved in stealing babies from hospitals for illegal adoptions, trafficking, and other exploitative purposes. While many of these cases have been investigated, the full scale of the problem remains difficult to measure, and many victims continue to seek justice and answers.
Don’t forget The Netherlands! The Netherland's own Ministry of Health Department (GGZ) admits that CPS (RvdK) has STOLEN a whopping 1 MILLION Children from loving Moms and families over the last 25 years. That's on a population of 18 million inhabitants which amounts to an entire generation of Children and their families that has been DESTROYED! And this is still going on today
Reem Alsalem's letter to the Dutch government:
https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=29225&mc_cid=e0c9cd2f33&mc_eid=c8906e1910
The GGZ's statistics of Children trafficked by CPS (KvdK)
https://m.ggztotaal.nl/#!/news/3720586