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According to a court official, Madonna is seeking to adopt a little Malawian girl named Mercy James, who is turning four years old, from an orphanage in southern Malawi after the star fell for the baby when she was barely a few months old during a visit in 2006.
The girl's 18-year-old mother was unmarried and died soon after she was born, her uncle, John Ngalande said. Her father is believed to be alive but has little contact with his daughter, he said.
Madonna's plan has angered child activists who accuse her of using her fame and wealth to fast-track the adoption process.
Critics accused the government of giving one of the world's most successful singers special treatment when she adopted her Malawian son David Banda, saying it skirted laws that ban non-residents from adopting children.
Meanwhile, a coalition of non-governmental organizations held a press conference in the capital, Lilongwe, criticizing the pop star's latest adoption application.
"We feel Madonna is behaving like a bully," said Undule Mwakusungula, chairman of the Human Rights Consultative Committee. "She has the money and the status to use her profile to manipulate, to fast-track the process."
One of Madonna's lawyers said outside the courtroom that she was asking to be granted an interim adoption of about 18 months.
Holding the hand of 3-year-old David, whose adoption from Malawi was finalized last year, the singer and her three children walked around the compound of the Mphandula child care center built by her charity Monday, about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from the capital Lilongwe.
The singer said despite the controversy, she was happy to be involved in a case that might pave the way for more adoptions in Malawi, where an estimated one million children have been orphaned by AIDS.
Madonna has captivated millions around the world with sexy, high-energy performances and songs like "Material Girl," "Like a Virgin" and "Papa Don't Preach."
(Agencies)
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U.S. pop star Madonna walks while holding her adopted Malawian son David Banda at a school she financed, some 50 km south of Malawi's capital Lilongwe, March 30, 2009 |