After adopting a child from Russia in September of last year, Torry Hansen tried to send the boy back in a Russian adoption return. The boy’s adoptive grandmother put him on a plane with a one-way ticket, pinning a note to his clothing. The family also paid a Russian man a $ 200 quick cash to complete the Russian adoption return by taking the boy from the airport to the Russian Education and Science Ministry.
Violent outbursts prompted Russian adoption return
The family claimed that they attempted the Russian adoption return because they were worried for their safety. One paragraph on the note they sent to Russia with the boy stated:
“This child is mentally unstable. He is violent and has severe psychopathic issues, I was lied to and misled by the Russian Orphanage workers and director regarding his mental stability and other issues. After giving my best to this child, I am sorry to say that for the safety of my family, friends, and myself, I no longer wish to parent this child.”
The boy’s adoptive family has said that he would threaten to kill everybody in the home. When a social worker visited the family in January to check in, the family did not inform them of any issues.
Russian adoption return sparks international uproar
The Russian adoption return has caused anger around the world. Russia quickly suspended the license of the agency that had handled Artyom Savelyev’s adoption. Russia is threatening to suspend adoptions until a new legal framework can be solidified. Presently, there is no legal framework in place between the two countries to prosecute the family that tried to make the Russian adoption return. Both the U.S. State department and agencies in Tennessee are looking into prosecution for child abandonment.
Watch reports on the Russian adoption return
It is difficult to place Russian adoptions
According to UNICEF, there are more than 740,000 children in Russia that have no parental custody and Russian adoption is very difficult. Very few parents in Russia are willing to adopt, so agencies search for foreign parents. Adopting a child from any country is very costly, and many adoptive parents end up asking a personal loan business for help during the process. Russian officials are wary of U.S.-Russian adoptions, however, as there have recently been a spate of Russian adoption returns and failures.
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