The story of Yaneth Pardo is that of a Colombian mother who, after years of struggle, hopes to be reunited with four of her children, victims of an illegal adoption that took them to Jordan. His story, marked by strength and pain, became known as part of the renowned podcast You canmoderated by journalist Tatiana Franko.
Yaneth describes how her minor children were taken away from her and sent to a distant land, immersed in an unknown culture and language, deprived of their family and roots.
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In her testimony, the woman recounted a life full of adversity: from a childhood marked by abandonment and abuse to Until an adulthood marked by poverty, discrimination and the constant struggle with institutions that, far from protecting her, ended up taking away her most precious things.
The mother never stopped looking for her children as she said she visited offices and begged authorities for help as she faced indifference and bureaucracy as her family fell apart and another of her children struggled with – and eventually succumbed to – a devastating illness.
Today, Yaneth insists that her children must return to Colombia, where they have a biological family and a possible future. Her voice not only demands justice, but also represents many other Latin American mothers who, like her, are fighting for the return of their children and the reconstruction of their lives.
The woman recalled a childhood marked by abandonment and violence. She was rejected by her mother at a young age: “My mother gave me away when I was four years old. She wanted to give me away to a country, the United States.” The intervention of his paternal grandparents prevented this fate, although living with them offered no protection either; In this home, abuse and lack of affection dominated their daily lives.
At the age of 12, he decided to leave: “I left home because I saw so much suffering.” Since then he has undergone various domestic tasks and constantly changed his place of residence. Each phase brought new forms of abuse and loneliness: “I came from abuse, from abuse, with no family, no support.”
Returning to her mother in Bogotá did not change her situation, as Yaneth described a distant and carefree relationship and found no support from her father either. “For me there was no parental love,” he said. Only a stepmother gave him guidance and help in finding work, which enabled him to move forward.
This story had a direct impact on her motherhood, as Yaneth stated that her greatest goal was to protect her children from the violence she experienced; However, couple relationships reproduced difficult scenarios.
“I had no one to support me,” she recalled to the father of her first children.. Over time, she was left alone to care for nine children and took informal jobs to support them. “I went out to recycle and they stayed home.”
The intervention of the Colombian Institute for Family Welfare (Icbf) marked a final break, as Yaneth assured that he was meeting the basic needs of his children. “They never went to bed without eating, they were always studying,” he said. Nevertheless, he was threatened with proceedings that led to the loss of custody.
The situation worsened when one of her children became ill with cancer, she repeated her request to the authorities. “I have my son with cancer, help me,” he recalled. The answer was negative, but the young man died some time later, leaving behind him pain and an outstanding promise.
While facing this grief, Yaneth learned that her children had left the country. “In 2018, they buried one and took the others away,” he said. He later learned that they lived outside Colombia, which increased his fear and sense of injustice, until he discovered that they were in Jordan in the Middle East, 7,000 miles (11,800 km) from home.
Yaneth expressed her desire to be reunited with her children and explained that since the separation, she has contacted various authorities to secure their return. With a broken voice, he said that he maintained the hope of getting her back and hugging her again after a breakup that, according to him, was unjust: “I want them to study here and decide about their future”.
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