In Croatia, the case is called the "Zambia affair". Eight Croats are still in custody in the African country, suspected of trafficking children they wanted to adopt. Adoption of children abroad is a big problem in Africa.
It was supposed to be a dream come true: four Croatian couples finally adopted children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, or so they believed.
However, before they could board the plane, Zambian authorities detained the Croats, claiming that the adoption papers were forged. Therefore, they now face charges of child trafficking.
They have spent at least a month in custody since December, and the Zambian court only recently granted them bail. The procedure is complicated, and eight Croatian citizens are still in custody. If they do get out, they would have to stay in Zambia during the trial.
DW contacted the Zambian Department of Migration, the Ministry of Social Welfare, which currently has custody of the children, and the Congolese embassy. However, none of the institutions were willing to comment on the case.
The office of the Delegation of the European Union in Zambia told DW that they are closely monitoring the case, especially since Croatia, a member of the EU, does not have an embassy in Zambia.
"As an institution, we are interested in this case because citizens from a European country are involved," said Elias Banda, spokesperson for the EU Delegation in Zambia.
Debate on adoption of children
The case has reignited an old debate over the adoption of children in Africa involving Western nationals. Critics argue that in some cases the practice has facilitated child trafficking.
Those who support the practice of adoption believe that it helps to reduce the problems when it comes to food, clothing and housing conditions for orphans in Africa.
"Recently, the police have intercepted many cases of human trafficking, especially on the way to other countries," Josfat Njovu, executive director of the organization Advocacy for Child Justice in Zambia, told DW.
"That is a concern we have as a country but also as civil society organizations," Njovu said, stressing that Zambia must strengthen laws and regulations regarding child and human trafficking.
"We face lax border controls at some borders and in some countries, and that gives an opportunity to unregistered children or people to get through," says Njovu.
In 2014, the Kenyan government enacted a XNUMX-year moratorium on adoptions of children from other countries, citing, among other things, concerns about existing loopholes in local adoption laws.
The government then revoked the licenses of the agencies that mediate the adoption process.
Previously, the Kenyan government and UNICEF had questioned the process, claiming it was open to manipulation and led to commercial child adoption. This, they believe, puts these children at risk of exploitation.
South Africa previously had a ban on the adoption of children by foreign couples. However, she later abolished it after establishing an appropriate legal framework in which they could monitor the movements of adoptive parents.
Careful procedure
In Zambia, every adoption has to go through an elaborate process involving multiple government organizations to check each other.
"The process starts with the Ministry of Community Development," says Lisuba Kabanda, a representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Kabanda says that once they are satisfied that the family is qualified to adopt the child, the case is referred to the court to approve the adoption.
"Then the Ministry of Community Development compiles the documentation, along with the adoption. This is submitted to our registration department, so that we can issue a certificate of adoption, along with an abridged birth certificate," adds Kabanda.
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