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The heading "Child trade on rise, study finds" and the introductory paragraphs ( THES , August 30) misrepresent my research findings. The words "trafficking of children" appear nowhere in my report on intercountry adoption trends.

The article's tone will distress those offering a home to children who would otherwise have faced a bleak future. Most international adoptions are carried out through recognised procedures. Any cases of "trafficking" would not have been picked up in the statistics I reviewed, which were derived from government records.

Peter Selman
Reader in social policy
Newcastle upon Tyne University