Zagreb – Croatia promised on Wednesday to provide support to eight of its citizens who have been arrested in Zambia for alleged child trafficking, a case that has made headlines in the tiny Adriatic nation.
The eight were arrested this week for a second time after being taken into custody in December in Zambia as they were trying to leave the country with four children.
Comprising four couples, the eight say they legally adopted the children from neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo but have been accused by Zambian authorities of trafficking the minors.
“The situation is serious and it worries me,” Justice Minister Ivan Malenica told reporters in the Croatian capital Zagreb on Wednesday.
“We are in contact with ministers in Zambia and trying to help in all possible ways,” he said.
Zambia now has two procedures – determine whether this case is related to child trafficking on its territory – then if she has to return the children to the Congo, if the children do not have Congolese citizenship, then determine whose citizenship they are
— Zoran Elijah Gabriel (house Clermont-Goschütz) (@zoranhorus) February 8, 2023
If Croatia insists that they are our citizens (and the court in Zambia proves that child trafficking is organized on its territory), then the Croats must explain on the basis of what conditions Croatia takes the right to it?
— Zoran Elijah Gabriel (house Clermont-Goschütz) (@zoranhorus) February 8, 2023
The group was set to leave Zambia this week after a court ordered their release on Monday.
But they were arrested again at an airport as they prepared to depart.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Wednesday also voiced his concerns, calling the situation “very unusual”.
The Croatians were set to appear in a new hearing on Thursday, according to Malenica.
The case has sparked a fierce public debate in Croatia and has put international adoption in the spotlight in the Balkan nation, where potential adopters vastly outnumber eligible children.
The country of 3.9 million people is known for its creaky bureaucracy and a glacial vetting process that often results in years-long waits for potential parents hoping to adopt.
Follow African Insider on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Source: AFP
Picture: Pixabay
For more African news, visit Africaninsider.com
