Already 134 reports of possible irregularities in adoption

134 people have already reported questions about their adoption. Some adoptions date back sixty years or more. About twenty reports concern adoptions after 2000. This was reported by De Standaard on Thursday. Flemish Minister of Welfare Hilde Crevits (CD&V) wants each of these 134 adoptions to be rescreened.

In November last year it was confirmed that some adoptions of Ethiopian children through the Ray of Hope adoption agency had been abusive. Researchers who travelled to the country on behalf of Crevits and examined twelve adoption files, found that in at least one case parents had not consciously given up their child for adoption.

Following these initial results, the minister launched a broad appeal: anyone with questions about their own adoption or that of their child could report them. 134 people have already done so. This concerns reports about adoptions dating back to the 1950s and 1960s, as well as adoptions after 2000. There are 21 countries of origin among them.

Another 25 additional reports were received about Ethiopia, in addition to 21 reports about adoptions within Belgium and ten reports about adoptions from France. Other large clusters are 28 reports about adoptions from India and 19 about South Korea.

Screening

Crevits wants each of these 134 adoptions to be re-screened. She invites the 134 people involved to enter into discussions with the Ancestry Center about the possibilities for additional research in the country of origin. “The thought that your adoption may not have been done correctly in the past has a huge impact,” says Crevits. “We want to show that these concerns are heard and guarantee that adoptees, adoptive parents and birth mothers receive the support they need.” Crevits also wants to start a large socio-historical study to gain more insight into the way in which adoption was organized in the past.

The call is still open. Anyone who is concerned about an adoption, or has questions about it, and has not yet reported, can still do so at the Flemish adoption service, the VCA.

Disclaimer: Every day, Belga reports important or striking news from other media. These reports are given the keyword PRESS. However, Belga can never be held responsible for this reporting by other media. Please always mention the correct source for this information distributed by Belga.