ADOPTION LOSS ADULT SUPPORT AUSTRALIA INC.

We are looking forward to an exciting New Year.

Meeting for January 2012

Our first meeting for the new year will be 14th January 2012.
Please contact; Trish 0417 077 159 for venue.
All welcome.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was devised by 8 countries, one of which was Australia.

Dr. Herbert Evatt was the leader of the Australian Delegation.
The 8 countries worked from 1945,(after the close of the second world war) till it was ratified by the United Nations in 1948.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Preamble
Whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and unalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.

Whereas disregard and contempt for human rights have resulted in barbarous acts which have outraged the conscience of mankind, and the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people.

Whereas it is essential, if man is not to be compelled to have recourse, as a last resort, to rebellion against tyranny and oppression, that human rights should be protected by the rule of law,

Whereas it is essential to promote the development of friendly relations between nations,

Whereas the peoples of the United Nations have in the Charter reaffirmed their faith in fundamental human rights, in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women and have determined to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom.

Whereas Member States have pledged themselves to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms,

Whereas a common understanding of these rights and freedoms is of the greatest importance for the full realization of this pledge.

Now. therefore. The General Assembly, Proclaims this Universal Declaration of Human Rights as a common standard of achievement for all peoples and all nations, to the end that every individual and every organ of society, keeping this Declaration constantly in mind, shall strive by teaching and education to promote respect for these rights and freedoms and by progressive measures, national and international, to secure their universal and effective recognition and observance, both among the peoples of Member States themselves and among the peoples of territories under their jurisdiction.

Article I
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.

Article 2
Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race. colour, sex. Language. religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property. birth or other status.
Furthermore. no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent. trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.

Article 3
Everyone has the right to life, liberty and security of person.

Article 5
No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

Article 6
Everyone has the right to recognition everywhere as a person before the law.

Article 7
All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination.

Article 8
Everyone has the right to an effective remedy by the competent national tribunals for acts violating the fundamental rights granted him by the constitution or by law.

Article 12
No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.

Article 18
Everyone has the right to freedom of thought. conscience and religion: this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Article 25
2. Motherhood and childhood are entitled to special care and assistance. All children, whether born in or out of wedlock, shall enjoy the same social protection.

Article 28
Everyone is entitled to a social and international order in which the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration can be fti.iiy realized.

Article 29
2. In the exercise of his rights and freedoms, everyone shall be subject only to such limitations as are determined by law solely for the purpose of securing due recognition and respect for the rights and -Freedoms of others and of meeting the just requirements of morality, public order and the general welfare in a democratic society.
3. These rights and freedoms may in no case be exercised contrary to the purposes and principles of the United Nations.

Article 30
Nothing in this Declaration may be interpreted as implying for any State, group or person any right to engage in any activity or to perform any act aimed at the destruction of any of the rights and freedoms set forth herein.

Australia is a signator to all of the Agreements, Conventions, Protocols and Treaties.

Information supplied by Jan Kashin.

Mums call inquiry, compo over adoptions Newspaper article by Christine Retschlag, 16th June 1997.

MOTHERS forced to relinquish their children to adoption have called for a national inquiry, an apology and compensation.
Janice Benson, convenor of the 6th Australian Conference on Adoption held in Brisbane yesterday, called on Prime Minister John Howard to apologise to all mothers and children separated by adoption.
Ms Benson said an Adopted Persons Trust should be established from which people affected by Australia's adoption policies could have access to financial assistance.
"I believe subcontracting adoption policy and laws to the states was an incredible cop out," she said.
'For the Federal Government to say it is a state issue ... it is a human rights issue.
"Until we have a national inquiry we are not going to get the truth of what happened. The only way for mothers to move forward is for the truth to be told."
Ms Benson said the Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission should probe Australia's adoption history.
CHRISTINE RETSCHLAG

IT HAS ONLY TAKEN 14 YEARS TO GET THIS INQUIRY!

(Janice Benson is also known as Janice Kashin.)

Christmas meeting 26th November 2011

Our last meeting for the year will be our Christmas breakup.
It will be held at The Ox, Oxley Ave Margate. Starting time; 11:30 am
Bookings are required.
RSVP by 24th November 2011.

Please contact Trish; 0417 077 159 or
Marg; 0402 336 480
Please wear Christmas colours and bring a smile.
All welcome.

Commonwealth Contribution to Former Forced. Media release 2/11/2011

The Senate Community Affairs References Committee has decided to seek an extension of time to report on its inquiry into fonner forced adoption policies and practices.
The committee was expected to report on 21 November 2011, but will now seek to report on 29 February 2012.
This inquiry has attracted strong community interest and media coverage.
The committee will use the additional time to gather evidence and speak to more people who have expressed an interest in contributing to the Inquiry.

The committee has not been able to hold a hearing in Tasmania, and now intends to do so, on 16th December.
It also intends to hold a second hearing in Sydney, on 15th December.
The committee believes that evidence given by the Commonwealth requires more detailed scrutiny.
Over coming weeks the committee will be considering archival material from the 1950's to the 1970's, which should shed more light on the Commonwealth's role in past adoption practices.
The committee needs more time to consider the many detailed personal accounts that it continues to receive.
It also will be writing to some states and territories about their adoption information laws, and wants to ensure they have time to respond to the committee's queries.
Senate inquiry site.

ALAS rejects, "Statement of Apology"given by Benevolent Society to Senate Inquiry, 31/10/2011.

With 200 years experience in, “care of women”, ALAS mothers/ adoptees, believe, the Benevolent Society still does not understand the consequences of their past policies and practices and, the long term effects mothers separated from their babies and their children and the children, and both of our extended families suffered while in Benevolent Society’s, Scarba House and Royal Hospital for Women in Paddington, N.S.W.

Benevolent Society receives funding from Governments for their, Post Adoption Support Qld and Post Adoption Resource Centre N.S.W.

A separate apology for our mothers, our babies, our children and our extended families should have issued.
We believe, the Benevolent Society failed in their duty of care to correct their own wrongs.
The language used in this “statement of apology” we believe, shows that the Benevolent Society has only protected their own interest.

We believe, the Benevolent Society should have listened to their clients who passed through their Adoption Services, their counsellors who hear the horror stories, and groups who sent in information for what would have been accepted in an apology.

We feel we are re-traumatised and our painful experience trivialised.
We believe this apology lacks sincerity and depth.

Urgent action is needed.
If you agree, please send your objection to,
Email: www.bensoc.org.au
Post: PO Box 171 Paddington N.S.W. 2021
Phone:02 9339 8000
Fax: 02 9360 2319

31/10/2011
Statement of Apology
As Australia’s first charity, The Benevolent Society has a long history of supporting the most vulnerable members of our community. It is because of this commitment that we wish to make a public statement of apology about past adoption practices we were associated and involved with.

The Benevolent Society has been involved in the care of women and children for close to 200 years, establishing Australia’s first maternity hospital, the Royal Hospital for Women in Paddington, which we operated from 1905 to 1992, and opening the Scarba Welfare House for Children at Bondi in 1917. The Benevolent Society also ran an adoption service from Scarba House between 1969 and 1975.

While The Royal Hospital for Women had no official role in organising adoptions, we recognise and acknowledge that unmarried women in our care from the 1940s to the 1980s were not always given the care and respect that they needed during this difficult period of their lives and were sometimes coerced to give up children for adoption. We also recognise and acknowledge our involvement in arranging adoptions in the past through the adoption agency we ran at Scarba House.

The Benevolent Society deeply regrets past practices based on policies which, while influenced by societal attitudes of the time, we now know to be deeply flawed and damaging to many unmarried women who gave birth at the hospital.

The Benevolent Society apologises unreservedly for any pain, unresolved grief or suffering experienced by mothers, fathers, adoptees, adoptive parents and their families as a result of the past adoption practices of The Benevolent Society, the Royal Hospital for Women or Scarba Welfare House for Children.

In the context of a society that stigmatised motherhood out of wedlock and did not provide adequate financial, legal and psychological support for unmarried mothers, adoption was widely assumed to be the only possible option for unmarried pregnant women.

We now recognise that great damage has unintentionally been done to people’s lives as a result.

We now understand and acknowledge the deep grief that many mothers experienced after the loss of a child to adoption, and the lack of support available to manage their grief.

Through our extensive work with people affected by adoption over the past 20 years as part of our post adoption support services, we understand the intense shame and secrecy that surrounded past adoptions. What was done cannot be undone but, for many, lifting the burden of secrecy is an enormous relief and an important step towards acknowledging the grief they have carried for so many years.

We have been and still are in the position of being able to offer people affected by past practices specialised support to help them with their lives today. We will help anyone affected by past adoption practices to access assistance and support from the Post Adoption Resource Centre in NSW or Post Adoption Support Queensland. Both services provide telephone support, specialist face-to-face counselling, intermediary services to assist individuals approaching birth relatives, and assistance in accessing adoption records.

We respect the fact that some people may choose not to access services from The Benevolent Society and would be happy to refer them to another appropriate service or counsellor.

We also suggest anyone affected by past adoption practices consider participating in the National Research Study on the Service Response to Past Adoption Experiences being conducted by the Australian Institute of Family Studies.

These practices were repeated across the country, and we believe the Australian Government has a unique role to play leading the nation in acknowledging these painful mistakes from the past and ensuring they are not repeated. We will continue to advocate for a formal statement of apology from the Commonwealth Government, for better access to specialist counselling and support services throughout Australia and for amendments to legislation to remove the barriers to people accessing adoption information.

We respectfully request that this apology be received in the spirit in which it is offered, as part of our commitment to assisting those affected by past adoption practices in their lives today and ensuring the mistakes of the past are not repeated.