Artem's Story

Artem is a, now eight-year old, boy from Siberia who was adopted by Tory-Ann Hansen in 2009. Hansen is a single mother and nurse who lives in Arizona. The Russia orphanage, where he was located, was impressed by her affection toward Artem and were quite confident that he was in good hands. That was until the seven-year old arrived back in Russia with a letter from Hansen saying "I no longer wish to parent this child" and asking for the adoption to be annulled. Hansen claims that Artem was "violent" and "mentally unstable." However, he claims that while living with Hansen he was abused and even reenacted incidents where Hansen pulled him by his hair. Sadly, Artem is not unfamiliar with neglect. He was born to a teenaged mother whose parental rights were taken due to her alcoholism. Russian authorities claim that Hansen's reports are false and that young Artem is merely "stubborn."  Due to the media uproar, the Russian foreign minister has demanded a freeze on all adoptions between Russia and the United States. I'm disgusted by this entire incident. Regardless of her inability to control him, she had absolutely no right to send him off like stray dog for which she no longer had need. I don't even want to think about what could have happened to him during his two layovers (Tennessee and Washington DC). I find it impossible to see 34-year old Hansen as the victim in this situation. Artem, who was slowly adjusting to his environment, has now been stripped of his friends and taken back to a Russian orphanage. This child is a prime example of the many children who are abused and neglected by their adoptive or foster parents. With this website I wish to tell the stories of the many Artems around the world.






Courtesy of Daily Mail