Peggy Hilt in court (Reuters)
Manassas, Virginia – Peggy Hilt was sentenced to 25 years in prison today for killing her daughter, who was adopted from a Russia orphanage. 14 children adopted in Russia have been killed by their US parents over the past ten years. RussiaBlog decided to take this case as an opportunity to address the issue of adoption of Russian kids by American families, which is a major issue for many couples hoping to adopt here in the Pacific Northwest.
According to the News Observer, Kathy Friend, an American trying to adopt a child in Irkutsk, blamed the Hilt case for delaying many adoptions. "Not only did Peggy Sue Hilt kill her daughter, but she has killed the hopes and dreams of many children here in Irkutsk to be with their American-forever families," she said. Nearly 60,000 Russian kids have been adopted by American families since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many Americans were worried that adoptions of Russian children would be banned by the Duma because of the recent murders. However, this is not true.
Peggy Hilt adopted a child without using an accredited agency. Many of these non-accredited agencies charge huge fees and don’t really do much in the parents' opinion. However, when something “wrong” happens later with the American family, the agencies can be held responsible for matching a child with negligent parents.
The first news reports about the Hilt case said that little Nina was adopted illegally. Further investigation by Russians and Americans proved that Hilt adopted Nina according to the law.
Nina Bazhenova was born on October 11th, 2002. Her mother put her up for adoption and later the three Russian families who were interested in adopting the little girl decided to go with some other “options”. Eventually, Nina ended up in the Irkutsk Orphanage #1 “Solnishko” (a Russian baby talk word for “sun”). The Hilts came to Russia looking for a child to adopt. They filed the necessary court papers, and after some months in 2004 they were granted permission to adopt.
According to the Irkutsk Prosecutor’s office and the court officials the family “looked decent, nice and respectable”. The family was raising another girl from the former Soviet Union, adopted in Ukraine. The immigration papers allowing the Hilts to bring the girl to America were obtained in Virginia, and brought to the Russian bureaucrats. Nina was finally ready to go home and join her new family.
Some members of the Russian Duma have talked about banning foreigners from adopting Russian children, but such a draconian bill has not been approved. Instead, most likely, the bill will prohibit by-passing accredited agencies, which will make adoptions more expensive, but they will also have to conduct more background research on prospective families.
Personally, I think that American families adopting Russian kids is a great idea, which gives these children an opportunity for a better life; however it is really sad when a tiny minority of families mistreat or hurt their child.
Comments
This is a very sad story and probably will make it more difficult for responsible, loving parents to adopt from Russia in the future.
However, it does highlight some issues about Western parents adopting from developing countries that do need to be addressed. While parents almost always adopt with the most altruistic motives, the way the adoptions are carried out often exposes children to risk. I speak mostly from my experiences in China and SE Asia, but I have heard similar situations exist in Russia and the Ukraine.
Developing countries tend to have over-stretched social services and poorly enforced adoption laws. Trying to help the children that need it most, adoption processes are “expedited,” so that meager funding is spread over fewer children. In the best-case scenario, this is “cutting through the red tape,” at worse, it is selling children to get rid of a problem.
This “market for babies” is particularly a problem in China, where local officials “tax” the adoption of children- they can make thousands of dollars off of each sale. The mother is paid a few hundred dollars (that is more than a woman can make working for nine months). This isn’t a problem about the availability of contraceptives or abortion- these things are available everywhere in China. In fact, around “tourist” towns that are easily accessible to foreigners, there is an active trade in children. Mothers routinely sell their “unwanted” children for cash, and naïve foreigners buy them, thinking they are saving a life. This practice is really odious to educated locals, who see the trade as exploiting children.
These lax adoption procedures also open a market for people who are not buying children for good reasons. In a country with a sex ratio as skewed as China’s, I don’t think I have to spell out what that means.
I hope that the Hilt case will make government officials realize that even “rich” Westerners should be properly screened. I also hope that it encourages would-be adopters to look critically at adoption practices and consider if what they want is what is also best for the children.
Posted by: Andrea Crandall | May 27, 2006 6:04 AM
Hopefully, the situation in Russia will continue to improve to a point where such adoptions will not be necessary.
Russia currently faces a projected sharp decline in population.
The adotping of Russian children abroad doesn't help offset this issue.
Posted by: Michael Averko | May 27, 2006 8:39 AM
Yuri, I agree with you when you stated that it is a great idea to adopt children from Russia. I was adopted from Ukraine by an American family at the age of 12.
It is very sad to hear what happened to the little girl. I'm not sure what exactly happens to people to cause them to do such horrible things to children.
People who choose to adopt really need to know the facts about the adoption process and also what they are getting themselves into. Adopting is not borrowing a child that you can give back when they turn out to be their own person and not exactly the way you thought they would be. You can't give them back or get rid of them when the process is complete.
My adopted mother wanted to stop the adoption in the middle and not go through with it, because I learned some English and she did not like that I was different than she was. Thanks to my adopted father, who decited to go through with it anyway. I owe him my life and he's a great father. Unfortunatelly, my adopted parents divorced and I no longer speak to my adopted mother. They had a daughter of their own too, which makes things even more complicated, but I'm still glad. It allowed me to have an apportunity in life that I would have never received living in Ukraine no matter how hard I would have worked.
Posted by: Dina | May 28, 2006 10:00 AM
Hi,
I have been reading this blog for some time now but never bothered to comment until today. Wanted to let you know that I am a fan and enjoy your work.
Thanks,
_________________
Investor Newsletter | top stock picks | todays hot stocks
Posted by: VawsheveVerse | August 2, 2008 11:00 PM