Brazil human rights minister denies illegal adoption

Associated Press

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil's minister for women, family and human rights is denying a magazine's report that she forcibly took an indigenous girl from her family's arms 15 years ago and illegally adopted her

At the time, Damares Alves worked for a non-government group that helped indigenous children.

Alves said Thursday that Lulu Kamayura was not ripped away from her family when she was 6 years old. Alves said that with the consent of her entire family the girl was taken to Brasilia to study and receive dental care.

Epoca newsmagazine also said that Damares refers to Lulu as her adopted daughter but that an adoption was never legally formalized.

Alves says that she was only Lulu's caregiver and not her legally adoptive mother.