Tamuna Museridze’s relentless search for her biological parents has uncovered a decades-long baby-trafficking scandal in Georgia, where tens of thousands of newborns were stolen and sold under the guise of illegal adoptions.
While Tamuna’s journey led to the remarkable discovery of her biological father—who had unknowingly been her Facebook friend for years—it also exposed the systemic corruption that enabled these atrocities. Her story is a personal triumph intertwined with a broader fight for justice.
The Discovery That Sparked a Journey
Tamuna’s search began in 2016, after the sudden death of her adoptive mother. Sorting through personal documents, she found a birth certificate with her name but an incorrect birthdate. Further investigation revealed her adoptive mother had never given birth to her. With no answers from her family, Tamuna turned to her skills as a journalist, founding a Facebook group, Vedzeb (“I’m Searching”), to help reconnect separated families.
The group soon uncovered a dark truth: for decades, Georgian hospitals had deceived parents, claiming their babies had died, only to sell the infants to adoptive families. This practice, which began in the 1970s, continued into the 2000s, affecting tens of thousands of families. The stolen children were trafficked both domestically and internationally, often without the knowledge of adoptive parents.
Uncovering Her Own Origins
In 2023, Tamuna received a message in her Facebook group about a woman who had given birth in secret in 1984, the year Tamuna was born. A DNA test confirmed a familial connection, and Tamuna confronted the woman, who initially denied having given birth. Under mounting evidence, the woman admitted to being her biological mother, revealing that Tamuna had been given up voluntarily after a brief relationship with her father, Gurgen Khorava.
Tamuna’s mother had hidden the pregnancy out of shame, travelling to Tbilisi to give birth under the pretence of undergoing surgery. She spent ten days with her newborn before arranging an adoption. Yet the reunion between mother and daughter was far from joyful. Tamuna’s mother asked her to lie, claiming she had been stolen, to avoid public shame. Tamuna refused, unwilling to discredit the parents who genuinely had their children stolen.
A Remarkable Connection
Tamuna’s search for her father led her to an unexpected revelation: Gurgen was already connected to her on Facebook. For three years, he had followed her posts about reuniting other families, unaware of his role in her story. Their eventual meeting in Zugdidi, western Georgia, was emotional. Gurgen immediately recognised Tamuna as his daughter, and their bond grew quickly as they shared stories and discovered mutual passions, including a love for dance.
Gurgen introduced Tamuna to a large extended family, including half-siblings and cousins, further deepening her sense of belonging. “Out of all his children, I look the most like my father,” she observed.
Exposing a National Scandal
Through her investigative work, Tamuna’s Facebook group grew into a powerful platform, connecting families and exposing the scale of Georgia’s baby-trafficking network. Hospitals across the country were implicated, with parents shown frozen infant bodies to support fabricated claims of their babies’ deaths. Corrupt officials and healthcare workers profited from the trade, while adoptive parents remained in the dark.
The scandal also drew attention to stories like that of twins Ano Sartania and Amy Khvitia, who discovered each other after 19 years apart. Their emotional reunion highlighted the personal toll of these systemic abuses.
Despite the group’s success in reuniting families, the path to justice remains slow. A government investigation launched in 2022 has made little progress, with no charges filed and many implicated hospital staff still practising.
A Personal Mission with Broader Implications
While Tamuna has helped hundreds of families reconnect, her own journey remains bittersweet. Her mother has distanced herself, unwilling to reconcile the past, but her relationship with Gurgen and her new extended family provides a source of joy and closure.
Tamuna continues to advocate for transparency and justice, collaborating with human rights lawyer Lia Mukhashavria to challenge legal barriers preventing adoptees from accessing their records. She also presses the Georgian government to take meaningful action against those responsible for the trafficking.
A Story of Resilience and Hope
Reflecting on her journey, Tamuna acknowledges the emotional toll but stands by her decision to pursue the truth. “Would I do it all again? Of course I would. I found out so much about my new family,” she says.
Her story is a poignant reminder of the human cost of corruption and the resilience required to confront systemic injustices. While the fight for justice in Georgia’s baby-trafficking scandal is far from over, Tamuna’s efforts have shone a light on this dark chapter of the country’s history, offering hope to the countless families still searching for answers.
