Adoptivkinder aus Sri Lanka – Ein Schweizer Skandal (1/2) | Doku | SRF Dok

Adopted children from Sri Lanka – A Swiss scandal: 11,000 children from Sri Lanka were adopted by Western couples in the 1980s – some with fake identities. Including Switzerland. Around 700 children were brought from Sri Lanka to Switzerland using questionable methods. The babies from those days are now grown men and women and have many questions. For example, why the Swiss government, which knew about this baby trafficking at an early stage, did nothing to stop it. The film by Madeleine Brot and Xavier Nicol (from RTS) follows several young women who were adopted into Switzerland as babies on their search for their roots. Almost all of them have forged birth certificates. Most mothers were either pressured or even forced to give up their children. Sarah Ramani Ineichen was born in Sri Lanka and adopted into Switzerland when she was one month old. The now 37-year-old midwife lives in Geneva. She knows nothing about her biological mother. She doesn't even know whether her documents are real or fake. This is the case for many people adopted from Sri Lanka. Or whether the baby in the only picture she has from that time is actually her. In 2017, she flew to Sri Lanka to search for her roots. She was accompanied by Olivia Ramya Tanner, who was also adopted from Sri Lanka to Switzerland. Although Olivia grew up with loving foster parents, she too wanted to know who her biological mother was and why she gave her away. On their journey to Sri Lanka, the women found answers – albeit painful ones. It was "a business according to the wishes of the adoptive parents," says retired social worker Pedro Sutter. He himself worked for one of these controversial adoption agencies in 1984 and contacted the Swiss Embassy in Colombo several times, pointing out that "mass adoptions" were being conducted, with "sham procedures." And the Swiss authorities? Why did they turn a blind eye, even though the scandal had already become public in the early 1980s? The adopted children from Sri Lanka have now founded an association. The goal is, on the one hand, to support members in their search for their roots. On the other hand, the association also wants to address the problem politically and hold the federal government accountable. In March 2018, the Federal Council adopted a motion calling for clarification of the adoption scandal. The Federal Office of Justice must now investigate the adoption practices at the time. A dark chapter that Switzerland has not yet resolved. A film by Madeleine Brot and Xavier Nicol NEW DOCUMENTARIES AND REPORTS EVERY WEEK --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 🔔 Subscribe to SRF Dok now on YouTube and activate the bell: https://www.youtube.com/srfdok?sub_co... 👇 More on the topic of documentaries & reports can be found here: 👥 SRF Dok on Facebook: https://fb.com/srfdok 🎧 More stories to listen to: https://www.srf.ch/audio/themen/mensc... 👀 More documentaries on Play SRF: https://www.srf.ch/play/tv/themen/dokus ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Channel info: The SRF Documentaries & Reports teams report factually, avoid scripted reality, and are the Committed to journalistic integrity. The editorial credo: We show life in all its nuances. __ SRF's Social Media Netiquette: ► https://www.srf.ch/social-netiquette #SRFDok #Documentary #adoption #history #society #family #children #Swissscandal #SRF