Greece is currently ideal for infant trade, with traffickers charging between 7,000 and 20,000 euros to secure a baby for couples who have failed to have a child of their own. Many factors determine the price of an infant – the speed of delivery, for instance, or the race of the infant. If a baby has brown hair its price drops. Fair-skinned babies with blonde hair tend to be more expensive. If a baby is “available for purchase” it is more expensive. Another important factor is the age of the infant. Most babies are sold three to five days after birth. They cannot be sold after they are more than one month old. Infant traffickers charge more if the couple demands being able to select their newborn out of a group. Traffickers also try not to let the couple meet the birth mother, especially if she is a Roma or comes from countries such as Bulgaria. In fact, in several cases traffickers have presented a woman from Russia as the birthmother, so that perspective buyers have the impression that the child will grow up to be tall and blonde. In addition, the deliveries usually take place outside of private clinics so that buyers are under the impression that the newborn belongs to a wealthy family and will therefore be healthy. Most circuits are controlled by Bulgarian nationals, who find pregnant women in their country of origin and transfer them to Greece for childbirth. In fact, they usually convince women to become pregnant and sell the infant for at least 3,000 euros. Many Greek lawyers and notaries work as accomplices to these circuits and manage their paperwork. The birthmother signs a form to authorize a lawyer to attend court in her place in order to ratify the adoption. Consensual adoption is legal provided that there is no money involved. Otherwise it is prosecuted as a felony.
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