Police launch probe into alleged forced adoptions of Bangladeshi Children in 1970s

Bangladesh Police has officially initiated an investigation into the alleged forced adoption of babies between 1976 and 1979, with a focus on adoptions to the Netherlands nearly five decades ago.

The Special Branch of Police has recently confirmed The Business Standard of its commitment to conducting a fair and impartial inquiry into these historic cases.

"Shedding light on the matter has ignited a deep sense of responsibility. We commit to conducting a fair and impartial investigation, striving to contribute meaningfully to the nation's healing process," Special Branch's Special Superintendent Tahsin Mashroof Hossain Mashfi said.

The investigation was prompted by a letter from Saida Muna Tasneem, Bangladesh's high commissioner to the UK, in August 2023. Saida urged the then-foreign minister, AK Abdul Momen, to look into allegations of forced adoptions.

The letter was subsequently forwarded to the home ministry, leading to the initiation of the police investigation. Saida Muna Tasneem confirmed these developments to TBS.

Following her letter, the foreign ministry directed the home ministry to investigate the matter. In January, the Special Branch, the oldest unit of the police force, officially commenced its inquiry.

Kana Verheul, a Dutch-Bangladeshi adoptee, became the first witness to be interviewed by the police.

Expressing her hopes, Verheul said, "I hope Bangladesh, my birth country, will cooperate with adoptees and grant us access to the support and information needed to recover our identities and reunite with our families," as revealed by a source close to the investigation.

However, a police official acknowledged the investigation's complexity due to the passage of time and challenges in obtaining evidence. "Those who are making claims don't even have enough evidence for their claims. We will try our best to bring the truth to light," the officer added.

Kana Verheul, adopted to the Netherlands as a baby, discovered discrepancies in her adoption papers that described her as an orphan. This revelation led her to found Shapla Community, an organisation working to reunite Bangladeshi adoptees in the Netherlands with their birth families.

British newspaper The Guardian recently published a series of reports on allegations that children were lured from vulnerable families during 1976-79 using a tactic known as the "boarding school scam".

Families were allegedly offered temporary shelter for their children, only to discover later that they were adopted abroad without their consent.

The roots of international adoption from Bangladesh trace back to the aftermath of the 1971 Liberation War. Emergency legislation allowed foreigners to adopt "war babies" born to survivors of rape.

The adoption practice continued for years, and in 1976-77, allegations emerged from the Tongi area of Dhaka, claiming that children were adopted to the Netherlands without their mothers' consent.

The Guardian interviewed adoptees who believe they were taken from their families in Tongi, along with elderly mothers who claim their children were taken without consent, expressing hope for reunification.