PROFESSIONAL BOXERS: Cecilia Brækhus was adopted from Colombia when she was three years old. – I don’t think my life would have been very good if I hadn’t been taken to Norway, she says – here on a training stay in the USA in 2020. Photo: Klaudia Lech / VG
Cecilia Brækhus believes it is wrong to stop all adoptions from abroad.
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- Professional boxer Cecilia Brækhus believes it is wrong to stop all adoptions from abroad.
- The Norwegian authorities are considering stopping adoptions temporarily until 2025.
- VG has exposed stories of illegal adoption and systematic cheating in adoption documents from South Korea.
Sea view
– I am fully aware that my life could have been completely different. So for me it’s crystal clear – adoption is a wonderful thing, says Cecilia Brækhus.
The professional boxer from Bergen lives in Chicago, but has followed the revelations about illegal adoption in the Norwegian media.
– I think it is important and right that these stories come to light. It may seem as if the Norwegian authorities have been naive and proud that the countries we adopt from have had their systems in order. It now turns out that it is wrong, says Brækhus.
Photo: Klaudia Lech / VG
VG has previously told the story of Camilla Austbø, who was stolen from her biological mother in Ecuador and adopted to Norway. When the mother demanded her daughter back, the Norwegian authorities transferred a large sum to Ecuador.
VG has also exposed systematic cheating in adoption documents from South Korea.
BufdirBufdirBufdir is now considering Bufdir is the Directorate for Children, Youth and Families, which is responsible for all adoptions to Norway. to stop all adoptions to Norway temporarily. A possible suspension of adoption will probably last until 2025, Bufdir director Hege Nilssen has informed VG. Then the committee The children’s minister Kjersti Toppe has set up an external committee to examine all adoptions to Norway. which will review the Norwegian adoption system has finished its work.
– I think it is absolutely terrible to read that children are stolen from their biological parents. Now the authorities must clean up.
– But it is not right to end all adoptions. I think of all the children who don’t get a good and safe life, like I did, says Brækhus.
Photo: Klaudia Lech / VG
She herself was adopted from Colombia when she was three years old. Her papers state that her parents died in an accident. Cecilia thinks of the orphanage as a good place to be.
– I remember smells and sounds and that I was well taken care of. That might explain why I don’t feel a great need to go back to Colombia and find out about my history. I have my memories from there which I live well with.
When Brækhus was 14, she started martial arts. She says that she completely fell in love with the sport. She has become world champion in boxing, and went 13 years undefeated between 2007 and 2020.
– I found myself in sports. There wasn’t much time left to think about where I really came from and why I looked different. But I deeply understand those who want to find their way back to their roots. Everyone is different and has different dreams and needs – including us adoptees.
Requesting help
She remembers the first time she saw snow in Norway. She remembers the smells that were so different from the ones she was used to, that she couldn’t speak the language and that she had to get to know a completely new family.
– It was a tremendous strain. The concept of adoption is really quite wild. There were an incredible number of impressions to take in.
Three-year-old Cecilia’s survival mechanism was to learn the language and to ask about everything she wondered about.
– But I would really like to have someone to talk to and process everything I went through. It should have been part of the mandatory scheme around adoption. Both adults and children should have received professional help to process the enormous upheaval they have been through.
Published:
Published: 24.12.23 at 09:36
2023-12-24 08:36:41
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