Madonna faces critcism as adoption bid is delayed

Madonna was accused of using her fame to bully her way into adopting another Malawian child today.

A coalition of rights workers issued a statement criticising the singer’s attempt as a court decided it would rule on Friday whether to grant it.

“We feel Madonna is behaving like a bully,” said Undule Mwakusungura, chairman of the country’s Human Rights Consultative Committee.

“She has the money and the status to use her profile to manipulate, to fast-track the process.”

The 50-year-old pop star spent about an hour in court today in the Malawi capital of Lilongwe applying to be the legal guardian of four-year-old Chifundo James, whose name means “Mercy” in a local language.

It was not known whether any of the girl’s relatives were present.

The girl’s father is believed to be alive but no other details were available.

Madonna has not commented on the adoption application and did not speak to reporters today.

The adoption of her three-year-old son, David, whom she met at a Malawian orphanage in October 2006, was finalised last year.

Children’s advocacy groups have accused Madonna of wielding her wealth and influence to circumvent a Malawian law requiring an 18- to 24-month assessment period before adoption. David’s adoption was a trying process for the singer, who has said the storm of criticism hurt.

But some Malawians have said that they support Madonna.

“We are blessed for what Madonna is doing here,” said E. Ngulinga, who was among the onlookers gathered outside the court today.

“That baby is going to have the advantages of going to school and of becoming someone,” he said. “Here it is very difficult.”

Mr Ngulinga said he hoped the girl and David would return when they were older to help Malawi, an impoverished country where 14 % of adults are infected with the HIV virus.

If the latest adoption goes through, Madonna, who is single, would become a mother of four. She has an eight-year-old son, Rocco, with her ex-husband, Guy Ritchie, and a 12-year-old daughter, Lourdes, from a previous relationship.

Madonna brought both David and Lourdes to Malawi this time, arriving yesterday. David spent more than two hours with his biological father at an exclusive lodge where the pop star is staying.

“I was very happy to see him,” the father, Yohane Banda, said, adding that David did not recognise him. “He asked me who I was.”

David’s mother died when he was a month old. His father has said he believed he could not care for him alone, and that placing the boy in an orphanage was the best way to ensure his survival.

Madonna first travelled to Malawi in 2006 while filming a documentary on the devastating poverty and Aids crisis. Her Raising Malawi organisation, founded in 2006, provides funds to provide food, shelter, education and health care for children.