Madonna told the BBC in an interview aired Wednesday that she had offered to financially support 13-month-old David Banda in Malawi, but his father turned down the proposal. The pop star said she would never have pursued adoption had she known the boy was receiving regular family visits at the orphanage.
Madonna sparked widespread criticism after bringing the child to London last month. A coalition of Malawian rights groups is pursuing a legal challenge, alleging the government violated its own regulations by allowing David to leave the country so quickly after Madonna filed her initial application. Prospective adoptive parents normally undergo 18 months of monitoring before an adoption is finalized.
The star said orphanage staff told her that David's father, who lived roughly 50 to 60 kilometers away, had never visited his son and had no means of transportation. The boy's mother died shortly after his birth. Madonna currently holds a temporary custody order, and David is living at her London home.
David's father, Yohane Banda, has urged the rights coalition to withdraw its case, saying he wants Madonna to raise the child. He also revealed that an American family had previously been in line to adopt David before Madonna became involved.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in November 2006, in its own words.