How twins separated at birth and sold for adoption were reunited by TikTok - BBC World Service

Amy and Ano are twins, but just after they were born they were taken from their mother and sold to separate families.

They found out about each other by chance and as they delved into their past, they realised thousands of babies in Georgia were stolen from hospitals and sold for adoption, some as recently as 2005. Now they want answers.

0:00 Intro
01:30 How Georgia's Got Talent helped solve a mystery of stolen babies in Georgia
04:25 Twins Amy (Tako) Khvitia and Ano Sartania meet for the first time
05:34 The Facebook group that first exposed a baby-trafficking scandal
08:11 A mother confesses the dark secret of baby-selling at a Georgian hospital
06:58 The truth behind an adoption scandal
15:45 What is the Georgian government doing to tackle baby-trafficking?
16:35 The stolen twins confront their families
17:39 How Facebook helped the twins discover their biological family
21:25 A suitcase buried in the ground… and a dark secret
26:35 Should the twins meet their biological mother for the first time?
37:25 Reflections on a dark chapter in Georgia's history

Credits:
Producer Directors: Fay Nurse and Woody Morris
Producer: Nino Shonia
Filmed and edited by: Woody Morris
Narration by: Mitra Djalili
Additional camera: Ed Hanson, Fay Nurse and Iago Gogilashvili
BBC 100 Women Executive Producer: Golnoosh Golshani

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[tamaraedgar]

Important point to know is that back in those days, men were not allowed inside maternity hospitals (and even female relatives were not allowed). Both me and my brother were born in the second maternity hospital and I know the stories of how my dad was waiting outside desperate for the news and how my mum could only communicate through the window. Imagining all those poor women, vulnerable and alone, unprotected right after childbirth being lied to and decived like that, having their babies torn away from them is breaking my heart.

[mperezmcfinn]

Imagine 19 years of grieving only to find out your children were alive the whole time. What an emotional roller-coaster!

[jennypalmer]

I cant imagine what the mothers and children felt. Mothers think their children are dead and the children have been sold. This is the height of EVIL

[Ninta]

Tamuna really deserved this recognition!
I think she also deserves the Pulitzer Prize as the best investigator Journalist ✨💘

[Cil]

This story should be on the news all over the world! Georgia is probably not the only country where this has happened… Kudos to BBC World Service!

[AngelsVoiceASMR]

My brother was adopted. We found his mom. The first thing she said was “ they took you from me, i wanted to keep you!” ❤

[peggyquintana]

Govt. of Georgia should subsidize DNA tests for anyone who comes forward to participate in the search!

[ArtisticInteligence]

My twins were stolen in 1982..still hoping to find them...greetings from Croatia.

[mariammakharadze]

The part when one victim says: They had a frozen baby to calm the situation down killed me :( Can't imagine how those people were so evil :(

[salomebliadze]

I am Georgian, From my childhood have heard some stories of how doctors stole children and sold them, it's one of the hardest stories I have heard. Thanks to Tamuna for everything she is a hero for children mothers and families. Hope one day every family find their children and also a child can get legal info on where is she/he from.

[minicapralinica]

In Serbia, (Yougoslavia) same problem. A woman gives birth to a child, the doctors tell her that her child has died, and they don't want to give it to her to bury. They tell her that the hospital does it. Children were sold to rich people all over the world. So sad..

[hermithollow]

It never ceases to amaze me how separated relatives especially twins have a strong feeling they are missing someone in their lives…like they have an empty space within. Incredible stories. Thank you for this video. 😊

[SabrinaBelladonna]

And this is the reason why Denmark has decided to ban international adoptions indefinitely, because child trafficking has to

[kalakala]

I had my first child out of wedlock and I can tell you that EVERYONE had an opinion about what I should do with him. People were downright arrogant or rude. The church had their opinion too. I kept him and raised him and I cant imagine my life without him. My heart bleeds for those poor women that 'lost'their children. Free DNA testing should become available for those who are searching. That way both parties are willing to be discovered. Ty for an amazing though sad video. Blessings to those who seek.

[monikak]

I have recently found out that my twin brothers are alive and that they were separated after birth. The hospital told my mom that they died but she never seen the dead bodies. My mom never recovered from what happened to her. They made her believe this lie and our whole family has been robbed from sharing moments together. This happened in Czechoslovakia in 1970’s. And yes, it s true that men were not allowed in maternity hospitals, my mom was only able to see my dad through the hospital window. My brothers may have been taken and adopted to countries outside Czechoslovakia. I’m still looking for them, please keep me and my family in your prayers to find them. 🙏❤️

[pattiliba]

I was 18 and unmarried, but living with the babies father, when my son was born in 1972 in Canada.A nun came to my hospital room and told me I was not old enough to look after a baby, that I should give it to the 'church', I told her I was not interested.She came back the next day and tried to shame me more, again telling me my son would be better off if given to a catholic home.I had to go to the nurses station and tell them to stop her from coming back.1972 in Canada.

[kakealicios]

Omg😢. I can imagine what a mom goes through during a pregnant period just to end up her baby to be stolen😮😮

[TearsInTheRain.]

The same thing happened in Serbia in the same period exactly from the 70s up to 2000 when people started investigating and talking too much about it in the media (I mean people who lost their babies). What that means is that this human trafficking is organized by the government itself!

[mynameiseve.]

That suitcase story is so devastating, imagine doctors with sworn oaths being so utterly cruel😳

[foxy_Sunoo]

It’s 2AM and here i am crying so hard. I’m Georgian and i have been looking into these cases for the past 2 years and every time i come across them my heart breaks all over again. Yes, i’m really sorry for the families deeply affected by this, however i’m also heartbroken that these things happened in my country. It’s really shameful what they did, they must be held accountable for ruining thousands of lives, breaking mothers, children, families. I wish all the happiness to the victims affected by this monstrosity.