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Italy may return adopted children

Italy may return 41 Rwandan children at the centre of an international adoption row between Rome and Kigali, the BBC reported on Friday. Italian deputy Foreign Minister Rino Serri told the BBC that the adoptions would have to be examined to assess their legitimacy. The 41 children, along with hundreds of others, were taken to Italy from Rwanda in 1994 to save them from the genocide. While many of the children returned after the civil war, these remained in Italy and were adopted by local families. The Rwandan government and the children’s relatives are demanding their return, saying they have been “kidnapped”.

This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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