from Sumithra Prasanna

Her past holds an unexplained mystery. Tainted with lies and deception. Jyothi Svahn was adopted by a Swedish family in 1994. But the circumstances leading to her adoption remain obscure. Jyothi, now 27, still recalls the traumatic separation from her biological mother, and is determined to search for her in India.

Nearly 90% of the estimated 143 million children in orphanages worldwide are not orphans at all. They are systematically bought, coerced, and stolen away from their birth families. The adoption industry is a huge market driven by money where orphans are ‘manufactured’.

With the help of human rights defender and investigator, Arun Dohle, Jyothi follows the criminal trail to India to unmask the deception behind her adoption story. The search is important to connect not just with her roots, but also with herself to be able to define who she is. And to expose the crime that tears countless babies apart from their birth families.

Against Child Trafficking Founder Roelie Post