Talk:Holt International Children's Services

help adding map coordinates

Hi there. Many American and European families who are traveling to Korea have trouble finding the Seoul office (headquarters) of Holt International/Holt Korea. Can someone add the coordinates, in the correct template, for their new office? The coordinates are +37° 32' 55.63", +126° 54' 40.19" (the address is 19 Yanghwa-ro, Mapo-gu, Seoul; but because of the addressing convention there, doesn't show up quite right unless you use the coordinates). I have no idea how to select the correct template for this or how to get it to float to the top of the article so that google spiders it and drops a Wikipedia link into the correct map layer. Thank you!! 192.234.214.110 (talk) 23:20, 28 March 2013 (UTC)

Holt adoption agency scandal

https://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/2024/09/widespread-adoption-fraud-separated-generations-of-korean-children-from-their-families.html By The Associated Press In the early 1980s, the government itself likened the agencies’ child-hunting practices to “trafficking.” Private counseling records in a 1988 document prepared by the country’s largest adoption agency, Holt Children’s Services, show that some parents who relinquished their children soon pleaded for them back, with no success. The document, obtained by AP, describes how agency’s workers told parents that their children would thrive in good Western families and may return home someday rich or “with Ph.Ds.” The mothers of biracial children didn’t always want to give them up, records show. In a letter to his wife in 1956, Harry Holt wrote: “One poor girl almost had hysterics in the office. She thought she could keep track of her baby after he had gone to America. I had to tell her it was a clean break and forever. Poor girl, her baby wasn’t weaned yet and she cried and cried.” 2601:648:C100:3D00:5767:577F:E7C6:C0EB (talk) 19:50, 7 October 2024 (UTC)

Request to Remove Inaccurate and Defamatory Content

Wikipedia Editors: As a representative from Holt International, I would like to request your help in addressing some inaccurate and defamatory content that was recently added to this Wikipedia page for Holt International Children’s Services. The entire paragraph below should be removed from Holt International’s Wikipedia page:

“In recent years, the Holt agency was accused of illegal activities involving the Brothers Home between the 1970s and 1980s. Peter Moller, an adoptee from Denmark, discovered that his mother was alive and demanded an inquiry into illegal adoptions between the 1960s and 1980s by the Truth and Reflection commission. Additionally, Adam Crapser, who was adopted into an abusive home, found out that his citizenship was obtained illegally. The agency faced criticism in 2014 when a 3-year-old, Madoc Hyunsu O'Callaghan, was murdered by his adoptive father, Brian O'Callaghan. Before the adoption, Hyunsu's foster mother had requested to adopt him, but Holt did not allow it. Furthermore, his adoptive father had concealed his PTSD during the screening process. 16-month-old Jeong-in was murdered by her adoptive parents in 2020, after being matched with them by Holt. This incident, along with the death of Sherin Mathews in Texas, led to the Indian government suspending ties with the agency. in September 2024, The Associated Press reported that Holt Agency and illegal adoption took away Korean children. ”

First of all, it’s important to clarify that Holt Children’s Services of Korea (“Holt Korea”) became a separate entity from Holt International in 1977. Since 1977, Holt Korea has partnered with many different adoption agencies and private facilitators to place children with families in countries across the world. Holt International is just one of these agencies and has only ever placed children from Korea with families in the United States. Holt International has had no involvement in many of the cases cited above, and many of the statements are either factually inaccurate and/or intentionally misleading.

“In recent years, the Holt agency was accused of illegal activities involving the Brothers Home between the 1970s and 1980s.”

This statement is false.

Holt International has never had any connection with the Brothers Home, nor has Holt International or its employees ever had any sort of communications or contact with the Brothers Home or its employees. Any allegations made regarding this have no factual basis. We request that this statement be removed from Holt International’s Wikipedia page. [MOU1] [PK2]

“Peter Moller, an adoptee from Denmark, discovered that his mother was alive and demanded an inquiry into illegal adoptions between the 1960s and 1980s by the Truth and Reflection commission.”

Korean adoptee Peter Moeller was not placed by Holt International Children’s Services, which only places children with families in the U.S. — not in Denmark or any other country. Holt International was never a part of Peter Moeller’s adoption to Denmark. Again, Holt International Children’s Services and Holt Korea are two separate agencies, and we request that this statement be removed from Holt International’s Wikipedia page.

“Adam Crapser, who was adopted into an abusive home, found out that his citizenship was obtained illegally.”

Adam Crapser was placed with an adoptive family by the State of Michigan Social Services, not Holt International. His first adoptive family was found to be abusive and he and his siblings were removed from the home. Adam was then placed into a second adoptive family by the State of Oregon Social Services. Holt International was never involved with this adoption, except as an advocate trying to advocate on Adam’s behalf when he was in the process of being deported.

Furthermore, the statement about Adam’s citizenship being obtained illegally is false. His adoptive families, as well as Adam himself as an adult, all failed to obtain his certificate of citizenship or naturalization. While this is unfortunate — and Holt International has long advocated for adoptees to receive automatic citizenship once in the U.S. — failure to obtain naturalization is beyond the control of adoption agencies in the U.S. or abroad.

We request that this statement be removed from Holt International’s Wikipedia page.

“The agency faced criticism in 2014 when a 3-year-old, Madoc Hyunsu O'Callaghan, was murdered by his adoptive father, Brian O'Callaghan. Before the adoption, Hyunsu's foster mother had requested to adopt him, but Holt did not allow it. Furthermore, his adoptive father had concealed his PTSD during the screening process. ”

The O’Callaghan adoption was conducted thorough Catholic Charities of Maryland from Holt Korea. Holt International was not involved in any way and we request that these statements be removed.

“16-month-old Jeong-in was murdered by her adoptive parents in 2020, after being matched with them by Holt.”

This was a domestic adoption case by Holt Korea, of a Korean child adopted by a Korean family in Korea. Again, Holt International was never involved and we request that this statement be removed.

“This incident, along with the death of Sherin Mathews in Texas, led to the Indian government suspending ties with the agency.”

This statement is factually inaccurate. The case surrounding Jeong-in in Korea did not involve Holt International in any way and had nothing to do with the Sherin Mathews case, which involved an Indian child placed with an Indian-American adoptive family in the U.S. The investigation exonerated any failure by Holt International, but did result in India’s central adoption authority, CARA, suspending Holt International’s ability to facilitate international adoption in India. Furthermore, Holt International has maintained a positive relationship with the Indian government and continues to help thousands of children in India every year through education, early childhood care and development, economic empowerment, nutrition and health, and other programs and services that strengthen families at risk of separation and help children overcome poverty and reach their potential in life.

We ask that this statement be removed.

“In September 2024, The Associated Press reported that Holt Agency and illegal adoption took away Korean children. ”

The AP articles reported on allegations from the 1970-80s of government practices that may have led to adoption placements of children not voluntarily relinquished by birth parents. Holt International did not knowingly place any children through deliberate misrepresentation, but relied on official documents provided to them by the government and orphanages as to the circumstances of the children coming into their care. As such, the statement oversimplifies and inaccurately summarizes the AP reports, and the implication that Holt “took away Korean children” via “illegal adoption” is patently false.

We request that this statement be removed.

We would also like to request some additions, including the fact that Holt International is a Hague-accredited international adoption agency licensed to practice international adoption by the U.S. Department of State, Holt is accredited by the ECFA and Better Business Bureau, and has a four-star rating on Charity Navigator. Holtcomms (talk) 19:07, 27 December 2024 (UTC)