Malian children adopted in France: Pauline's testimony

Text by: RFI Follow

These young adults have filed a complaint in Paris against the Rayon de Soleil association and one of its ex-managers. The organization assured Malian families that the adoptions were temporary, and French families that they were plenary. More than 320 people were adopted in Mali between 1989 and 2001 through this means. Testimony.

Publicity

Today, Pauline is 26 years old. A year and a half ago, she was contacted via Facebook by Marie, also adopted in Mali during this period. "  She sent me a Malian press article in which I found the names of my adoptive parents with a photo of me, taken in France  ", she tells Nicolas Rocca, of the France service of RFI

Pauline therefore decides to dive back into her file with her adoptive mother, where she finds very many irregularities: “  For example, I have three birth dates in my file. My dad, he has three different names. The photo on the passport with which I arrived in France, it's a little boy, it's not me ... But Rayon de soleil always had reassuring answers.  "

"  Find my biological family  "

In Mali, a child can only be adopted if he is abandoned or if all his parents are dead, which was not the case for Pauline.

Those responsible at the time no longer work in the Rayon de soleil association, but the complainants want us to help them shed light on their adoption.

"  What I want is the whole truth," claims Pauline. And my dream is to find my biological family, whether it be my parents, even if they are not my parents, even if they are deceased or otherwise ... A brother, a sister or an aunt ... I really need to find my origins.  "

Like others, she plans to return to Mali in the hope of finding a member of her family. The association in question was already involved in a similar case in Peru.

Newsletter Receive all international news directly in your mailbox

Follow all international news by downloading the RFI application

• France
• Mali
• Rights of the child