LOS ANGELES: A couple in Pennsylvania have been charged with abusing their two adopted children from Ethiopia, police were reported as saying. A prosecutor and his wife “severely mistreated” their 6-year-old son, who had skin lesions on his body and was malnourished, and their 18-month-old girl, who also had signs of multiple skull fractures, police said. According to reports, Deputy Attorney General Douglas Barbour, who works in the Pittsburgh office, and his wife, Kristen, were arraigned Friday on charges of child abuse. The couple are scheduled for an October 9 preliminary hearing. Allegheny County police said they began an investigation after the children saw a doctor on September 14 and the boy was admitted to the hospital. A doctor since then has recommended that the children have no contact with their parents, particularly the girl who the doctor said could be injured again or die if she remains with the Barbours, according to court documents. Douglas Barbour, 33, and Kristen Barbour, 30, face charges of “aggravated assault” as a result of their daughter's treatment and endangering the welfare of children related to both the girl and boy. The father also faces an assault charge related to his son's condition. Chris Capozzi, a lawyer representing the Barbours, declined comment when the arrests were announced Thursday. The case has again put the spotlight on adoption in the United States, with social workers demanding that the government launch better vetting procedures to ensure that children being adopted, both locally and internationally, are receiving the best possible care. Sally Amete, an adoption consultant in Los Angeles, told Bikyamasr.com that “there must be new regulations and post-adoption procedures in place that makes certain that the adoptive parents and children are finding their way.” She added that “too often parents cannot manage the children because they have no experience.” She argued that courses should be taken by prospective parents adopting children who have no children previously. “We have seen this becoming all too regular in the US and it is something that we must fight against so these children do not end up in foster care,” she added.
