Sherin Mathews, aged three years old, allegedly died after an assault by her Indian-American adoptive father.
New Delhi: Sherin Mathews would have turned four this July. Instead, next month will mark her first death anniversary.
The three-year-old with learning problems died after an alleged assault by her adoptive father last October in the US.
A year later, the government is yet to act on plans to revoke the authorisation of Holt International, the American agency that facilitated her adoption in July 2016 and reportedly failed in its duty to keep tabs on her upkeep.
Abandoned at birth by her parents in Bihar, Sherin was one of hundreds of Indian children adopted by overseas families every year through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), India’s central agency for adoptions.
Sherin’s decomposed body was found in a culvert near her house, days after she was reported missing by her adoptive parents. After her body was discovered, the father said she had choked on milk and he removed her body from the house to avoid suspicions.
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An autopsy subsequently concluded the child had died of “homicidal violence”, but the nature of the assault could not be determined since the body was decomposed.
Her adoptive parents, Indian-American couple Wesley and Sini Mathews, are both on trial in Texas in connection with her death. Earlier this month, India decided to revoke the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards of the Mathews, as well as some of their relatives and friends.
An old partner
CARA has been in regular touch with its counterpart in the US, the US Central Authority for the Hague Adoption Convention, over the past year, but little has come of it.
In a letter dated 5 January, 2018, CARA chief executive officer Deepak Kumar said Holt International had been suspended from facilitating adoptions between India and the US.
“Further decision on the revocation of its authorisation shall be taken on getting a detailed report from the US Central Authority and the Indian embassy in the USA,” he added.
Holt International had been facilitating India-US adoptions since 1979 before its suspension.
The decision to revoke the authorisation of Holt International has to be taken jointly by the ministry of women and child development and the ministry of external affairs.
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However, the latter is learnt to have cancelled at least two meetings in which the issue had to be discussed, including one this month.
‘Misleading’
In Sherin’s case, Holt International was the Authorised Foreign Adoption Agency (AFAA) tasked with the adoptive family’s background check, as well as visits to keep a watch on her life with them.
After it was concluded that the child had died of “homicidal violence”, the Indian government flagged reports furnished as “misleading”.
However, the US Central Authority told the Indian authorities that Holt International was not the agency that carried out the home and follow-up studies before and after the toddler was adopted.
In a letter to the Indian authorities in April, the US Central Authority said it was actually the Lutheran Adoption Service, an agency that provides a range of child welfare services, which conducted the studies.
The US authorities could start an investigative assessment of the Lutheran Service if the CARA deemed it necessary, the letter added.
However, an internal brief prepared by the Government of India in the case states that, according to Indian rules, the AFAA is responsible for conducting the checks.
In this case, “the AFAA had a tie-up with them (Lutheran Service) without the concurrence or approval of CARA”, the brief says, adding that, therefore, the lapses can be attributed to Holt International.
Explaining this argument, a government official told ThePrint, “Tomorrow, they can get up and say that this xyz person in Lutheran Service was responsible, but as a country, we have to pin the responsibility on the agency with which we came into an agreement.”
According to sources in the WCD ministry, Holt International has been trying very hard to restart operations with India, but the Indian government has been unresponsive.
However, asked if the Indian government can push for legal action against the agency for negligence, sources in the government said that was the prerogative of the American legal system.