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VOA慢速英语2014 美国人再次可以收养越南儿童

时间:2014-12-01 13:18:53

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AS IT IS 2014-11-30 Americans Can Again Adopt Vietnamese Children 美国人再次可以收养越南儿童

After being blocked since 2008, Americans can once again adopt children from Vietnam.

Adoptions2 ended six years ago when Vietnam and the United States failed to agree to continue the program. In 2008, a U.S. State Department investigation3 of Vietnam’s adoption1 system found fraud and baby-selling. Foreign adoption service providers were found to be paying Vietnam’s orphanages4 as much as $10,000 for a referral. The orphanages, in turn, forced or paid Vietnamese parents to put children up for adoption. Some providers were making illegal payments called bribes5, and providing funds for shopping trips to the U.S. for Vietnamese adoption officials.

Three years after that investigation, Vietnam signed the Hague Convention on Protection of Children. It also changed its adoption laws. This led to an agreement between the United States and Vietnam to permit adoptions to begin again.

In October, Vietnam’s Director of the Department of Adoptions told VOA’s Vietnamese Service that the two countries had reached an agreement to restart adoptions. Nguyen Van Binh said two American adoption agencies had been approved by the Vietnamese and the U.S. governments from a list of 200. The two are Dillon International and Holt International.

Dillon International is based in the southwestern state of Oklahoma. It also has offices in five other American cities. Dillon has sent food, clothing and other aid to children in four of Vietnam’s provinces for the past 15 years. It has also paid for them to be educated. Nellie Kelly is the company’s waiting child coordinator6.

“We’re really excited now that adoptions have started back because that’s really good news for the children who need families.”

But unlike in 2008, the adoption program is limited. Only children whose parents have died or have given up their parental7 rights may be adopted. And the children must have what are called “special needs” -- they may have medical problems. They may be older than five. And if they have brothers and sisters, they must be adopted together.

Ms. Kelly says these children are often not adopted. She says children like this have a very difficult time finding a family because many people only want a healthy baby. 

“For families who are open to children who do have special needs, this really will be a great opportunity for those children. These are children who previously8 might not have been able to find a family, because not every family is open to, for example, a child with a limb difference, maybe missing a hand or missing an arm.”

She says every child needs a family, but it is difficult to find a family for children who have special medical needs.    

Vietnam says it wants its children to be adopted by people in Vietnam. But it will permit foreign adoption if they are not adopted in Vietnam. Ms. Kelly says her agency supports this policy.

“Of course, if it’s possible, the preference is to allow that child to stay in their country of birth. Whenever there’s a domestic placement, though, it’s always the healthiest and youngest children who were selected first. So that leaves a great need for families who are willing to consider a child with a medical need -- perhaps someone who’s gonna need a surgery when they come home or therapy or whatever that child’s need may be.”

Ms. Kelly says her agency works to match a child with a family rather than trying to supply a child that a family wants.

“Our mission is to help find families for the children who need them, not find children for the families who want them.”

Christine Chronister is one of the editors of the website AdoptionIntegrity.com. American families who were adopting children from Vietnam started the website in 2006. The editors saw the problems that led to the ending of adoptions in 2008.

“Last time, it was, there was no restrictions9 on what children could be referred, and the Vietnamese government pretty much licensed10 anyone who paid. There wasn’t, really, like, clear standards of what you have to be as an agency to be licensed.”

Ms. Chronister is happy that the process has begun again. But she says she knows the stricter rules will lower the number of children who can be adopted from Vietnam.

The Vietnamese government says almost 1,300 Vietnamese children were adopted between 2011 and 2013, mostly by people who live in Europe.

The Dillon adoption agency says it does not know how many children will be adopted by Americans under the new program. It takes about 6 to 9 months to complete the process in the United States. That includes an application, preparation of immigration documents and an investigation. Then, the information is sent to Vietnam.

Because the program is new, the agency does not know how long Vietnamese officials will take to make a decision on a case. But it is telling people to be prepared to wait as long as two to three years. It says the cost to adopt a child from Vietnam is $25,000 to $32,000. Single people or married couples between the ages of 25 and 55 can take part in the program. The couples must have been married at least two years and they must be at least 20 years older than the adopted child.

Nellie Kelly says while her agency is happy that special needs children from Vietnam will be adopted under this program, she hopes it will help children in the other countries it operates in as well.

“In all of the programs that Dillon serves -- China, Colombia, Hong Kong, Haiti, India, (South) Korea -- all of those areas have children who are waiting for families. So hopefully, with the extra attention that Vietnam is receiving, children all over the world are gonna benefit.”  

Ms. Chronister says AdoptionIntegrity.com supports the activities of the two approved American agencies. But she says she is closely watching the agencies and the process to protect the families and the adopted children. 

“We love to hear about kids who have no hope suddenly (being adopted) in a family and their lives (have been) turned around. That’s the greatest miracle of all.” 

The announcement that adoptions of Vietnamese children by Americans would once again be permitted comes as the two countries seek to increase trade and improve military cooperation.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 adoption UK7yu     
n.采用,采纳,通过;收养
参考例句:
  • An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
  • The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。
2 adoptions 8f0b6a2d366b94fddc5ad84691e642d1     
n.采用,收养( adoption的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Adoption agencies are always so open to alternative family adoptions. 领养中介机构永远都对领养家庭敞开。 来自电影对白
  • The number of adoptions has grown in the past year. 去年,收养子女的数字增加了。 来自互联网
3 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
4 orphanages f2e1fd75c22306f9e35d6060bfbc7862     
孤儿院( orphanage的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • It is Rotarians running orphanages for children who have no homes. 扶轮社员们为没有家的孩子办孤儿院。
  • Through the years, she built churches, hospitals and orphanages. 许多年来,她盖了一间间的教堂、医院、育幼院。
5 bribes f3132f875c572eefabf4271b3ea7b2ca     
n.贿赂( bribe的名词复数 );向(某人)行贿,贿赂v.贿赂( bribe的第三人称单数 );向(某人)行贿,贿赂
参考例句:
  • It was alleged that he had taken bribes while in office. 他被指称在任时收受贿赂。
  • corrupt officials accepting bribes 接受贿赂的贪官污吏
6 coordinator Gvazk6     
n.协调人
参考例句:
  • The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, headed by the Emergency Relief Coordinator, coordinates all UN emergency relief. 联合国人道主义事务协调厅在紧急救济协调员领导下,负责协调联合国的所有紧急救济工作。
  • How am I supposed to find the client-relations coordinator? 我怎么才能找到客户关系协调员的办公室?
7 parental FL2xv     
adj.父母的;父的;母的
参考例句:
  • He encourages parental involvement in the running of school.他鼓励学生家长参与学校的管理。
  • Children always revolt against parental disciplines.孩子们总是反抗父母的管束。
8 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
9 restrictions 81e12dac658cfd4c590486dd6f7523cf     
约束( restriction的名词复数 ); 管制; 制约因素; 带限制性的条件(或规则)
参考例句:
  • I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
  • a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制
10 licensed ipMzNI     
adj.得到许可的v.许可,颁发执照(license的过去式和过去分词)
参考例句:
  • The new drug has not yet been licensed in the US. 这种新药尚未在美国获得许可。
  • Is that gun licensed? 那支枪有持枪执照吗?

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