In a heartwarming yet shocking turn of events, long-lost twins who were separated and sold off at birth have found each other on TikTok and uncovered a dark truth about their past.
What Happened: Identical twins, Amy Khvitia and Ano Sartania, were separated and sold shortly after birth. They recently reunited after finding each other on TikTok, reported BBC.
Their reunion was a result of their families’ mysterious similarities, which led them to confront their families and eventually track down a sister and birth mother via DNA tests.
Upon meeting their biological mother in Germany, Aza, they discovered that they were part of a child-trafficking scheme in the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Hospital staff had falsely informed Aza that the twins died shortly after birth.
The twins’ journey led them to realize that they were among thousands of children stolen as part of the child trafficking scheme in Georgia.
The twins’ story began when Amy, at the age of 12, noticed a girl who looked just like her on an episode of Georgia’s Got Talent. Her mother dismissed it as having a doppelganger. Years later, Ano, at 19, saw a TikTok Amy had posted and decided to track her down.
After connecting via Facebook, the twins discovered many similarities, including a genetic bone disease called dysplasia. They found out that they had been separately adopted in 2002 after their families had paid doctors for “unwanted” babies.
They joined Vedzeb, a Facebook group dedicated to reuniting families separated by suspected illegal adoptions. Journalist Tamuna Museridze, who founded the group, estimated that up to 100,000 babies were stolen in Georgia from the 1950s to 2005 in a black market for adoptions.
Why It Matters: The heartwarming reunion of the long-lost twins is a testament to the power of social media in reuniting families. However, their story also sheds light on the dark reality of child trafficking, a global issue that continues to plague societies.
Georgia began investigating child trafficking in 2022, but its government told the BBC that “very old and historic data has been lost.” This highlights the challenges in addressing and rectifying historical injustices, especially in cases of child trafficking.
Meanwhile, TikTok, the platform that brought the twins together, has been under scrutiny for its impact on young users. The platform’s algorithm has been accused of exposing young users to war-related content, and it is currently facing a lawsuit for allegedly misleading parents about inappropriate content accessible to young users.
TikTok Photo by Ti Vla on Shutterstock
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