The Netherlands suspends international adoption

[MotherWol]

Really interesting article on how The Netherlands have suspended all international adoptions, pending an investigation into historic human rights abuses: www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55982542

Adoption agencies have been found to be paying or coercing women to give up their babies in developing countries including Indonesia and Bangladesh for adoption by wealthy European parents, and this effectively equates to child trafficking. The investigation highlights the trauma this causes both to birth mothers and to children; and that adoptions should be about the best interests of the child, not the prospective parents.

I thought this was a really interesting development in light of the surge in overseas surrogacy, and it's about time the rights of children and birth mothers were prioritised over money.

I totally agree. About surrogacy and egg donation, too.

One Dutch woman who is searching for her birth parents in Indonesia told the BBC she welcomed the government's decision, saying the current system had encouraged the trafficking of children.
Widya Astuti Boerma, 45, said "Dutch inter-country adoption is still based on a money incentive procedure and this motivates trafficking.
"Today, inter-country adoption is still focused on adoption parents who are looking for a child, and this should actually be the other way around."

Yes, it should be.

Thanks OP. That is a good read.

I think there is a related scam where orphanages make money through voluntourism - either by selling gap year experiences, or 'charitable holidays'.

There was an article in the Guardian recently about an American (black) woman who adopted twins from Ethiopia. The focus of the article was about how it feels to be an adoptive mum vs biological mum, but I just couldn't get over the international aspect, wondering what it would be like to be brought up so far from your blood relatives and their culture and language, in a completely different country. The writer did mention at the end that the children's bio grandma was apparently pleased with it all and saw her as her own daughter's living spirit, but I still felt a bit uneasy about the whole thing.

I know that orphanages are frowned upon now, and development agencies prefer to support relatives to look after the children, so it surprises me that international adoption still goes ahead (though obviously it's not exactly the same).

I know from supporting JK Rowling's charity Lumos that the majority of children in orphanages are not actually orphans - they often have at least one living parent, or other close family, but the families have been pressured (economically and socially) into putting the children into an orphanage. Again, it's a failure to centre the child. I really hope that we can find a way in the UK towards banning surrogacy. It is not in the best interest of a baby to be taken from its mother.

Yes I hope a light is shone on the surrogacy and egg donation industry too.

I think in particular international adoption has been framed as wealthy, often white, parents 'saving' children from a life of poverty, but the obvious problem with that is that it's a solution for one child, usually younger and without disabilities. If western countries are truly interested in the best interests of children living in poverty then our attention should be focused on sustainable economic development to lift all children out of poverty and improve outcomes for women so they don't feel they have to give up their babies.

Good. White celebs like Madonna adopting brown babies as virtue signalling accessories is sickening. If they want to help kids in those countries give the parents or community money, although even there you have to be careful as some schools end up being white elephants and falling in to ruin. Paul Theroux wrote about that as he worked at an NGO school in Malawi.

@MotherWol

I think in particular international adoption has been framed as wealthy, often white, parents 'saving' children from a life of poverty, but the obvious problem with that is that it's a solution for one child, usually younger and without disabilities. If western countries are truly interested in the best interests of children living in poverty then our attention should be focused on sustainable economic development to lift all children out of poverty and improve outcomes for women so they don't feel they have to give up their babies.

Absolutely!! We know that the best ways of supporting the poorest in our societies isn’t just buying them things. Giving them the resources and support to be able to support themselves independently breaks the cycle. Give women the ability to support their families instead of pretending to be magnanimous and buying their families off them.

Give women the ability to support their families instead of pretending to be magnanimous and buying their families off them.

Yep! Or exploiting them by buying their genetic material or renting out their bodies to incubate a child for you.

Welcome development, though I wonder if the timing is just because an election is about to happen in the Netherlands? And the nasty party led by Geert Wilders is possibly gaining ground?

Agreed! Child-centered adoption should be the focus, not parent demand.