Madonna Calls in Babysitter

There's nothing like family bonding--and, believe us, this is nothing like family bonding.

Just one day after being granted temporary custody of a year-old motherless Malawian child, Madonna and Guy Ritchie flew out of the southern African country Friday sans new son. Their private plane departed for an undisclosed destination just before 2 a.m.

The child, identified as David Banda, has been left in the care of Madonna's entourage, according to local officials.
Meanwhile, Madonna's publicist, Liz Rosenberg, confirmed the adoption plans for the first time Friday--contradicting her statement from a week ago shooting down reports of Madonna's maternity plans.

"Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie have been granted custody of their son David," Rosenberg said. "Final legal arrangements are being made to bring him home to his new family."

The babysitting detail was necessitated by some red tape, but, echoing Rosenberg, Malawi officials, who said they hope to reunite David with his new parental units as soon as possible.

"The baby hasn't gone yet because immigration is still trying to process his passport," a senior immigration official told Reuters.

In general, Malawi law does not permit international adoptions and requires would-be parents to spend between 12 and 18 months in the country being evaluated by Malawian child welfare workers. Malawian officials waived the restrictions for the Material Mom and her director husband, granting them an interim order to adopt on Thursday.

Benston Kilembe, director of child welfare services in the Ministry of Gender, Child Welfare and Community Services, says the order allows the baby to travel with his new family but does impose restrictions on his care.

"One of the conditions, is that the boy will be monitored for any abuse of his rights and if he is treated differently from the other children," Kilembe told Agence France Presse. "The monitoring will be done by the government and if there is any abuse, the interim order might be revoked and the permanent custody of the boy will be canceled and he will be retrieved immediately.�

But the arrangement is drawing complaints in the country and abroad, with critics carping that Madonna received preferential treatment.

Eye of the Child, a leading Malawian child rights group, says it is petitioning the government to put the interim order on hold and, if that proves unsuccessful, will seek an injunction to stop the adoption. Another human rights group, the Civil Liberties Committee, is also backing the move.

"It's not like selling property," Eye of the Child said in a statement. "It is about safeguarding the future of a human being who, because of age, cannot express an opinion."

"You cannot buy a child as if you are buying a house," the group's Boniface Mandere told the Associated Press on Friday. "This process is too short, applying on Tuesday, and [Thursday] the court gave the okay. I don't think that the High Court has any information about how Madonna is when it comes to child-rearing."

In Friday's edition, the ever blunt New York Post ran the headline "Shameless Star Buys African Souvenir."

One person who is positive about the fast-tracked adoption is David's father, who sent his child to the Home of Hope Orphan Care Center soon after his birth.

"They are a lovely couple," Yohane Banda told reporters Thursday after meeting Madonna and Ritchie following the preliminary custody hearing. "She asked me many questions. She and her husband seem happy with David. I am happy for him. Madonna promised me that as the child grows she will bring him back to visit.�

Banda's wife died just days after delivering the child.

Prior to their Friday morning departure, the 48-year-old singer and her family had been on an orphanage-hopping tour of the African nation as part of the her Raising Malawi project, designed to clothe, feed and shelter more than 4,000 AIDS orphans. She has pledged to donate about $3 million to the campaign.

Once the adoption is formalized--a process that could take up to two years but will likely be less--David will join Lourdes, 9, and Rocco, 5, in the Ritchie clan.

from : Yahoo