Only 367 kids for 900 on adoption waiting list
4 November 2010
Only 367 kids for 900 on adoption waiting list
Smriti Singh, TNN, Nov 4, 2010, 04.56am IST
Tags:Co-ordinating Voluntary Adoption Resource Agency|adoption agencies NEW DELHI: More and more people are coming forward to adopt children but the number of kids with adoption agencies in the city that can be given for adoption has dropped drastically.
According to the latest data, about 900 families in the capital are waiting to adopt a child but only about 367 children — including special, handicapped and older children — are available for adoption with registered and recognized childcare centres in Delhi.
Co-ordinating Voluntary Adoption Resource Agency (CVARA), the nodal agency for adoption in the city, says that out of 900 families registered with it some even applied about two years back. ''You cannot rule out the possibility that some of these applicants might have gone for private adoption,'' said CVARA honorary secretary, Leila Baig. Even then, sources claim, about 60% of the registered applicants are still waiting to adopt a child.
''Many single people have approached us. Also, there are couples who prefer to adopt a girl child, which was not a favoured option 10-15 years back,'' said Baig.
Her claim is corroborated by the data of the past one decade. In 2000, 180 girls were adopted as against 121 boys. In 2010, 79 girls have been adopted till September as against 55 boys.
The waiting time for families wanting to adopt a girl child is about 1-2 years, while for a boy it is 2-3 years.
The reason for fewer children being available for adoption, say experts, can be attributed to several factors. ''It can be because there is less abandonment by destitute mother. The popularity of birth control measures among women can also be one of the reason for this,'' said Baig.
Supreme Court Lawyer Minakshi Lekhi, however, believes that there is another angle to the scenario. ''Government agencies and non-government agencies (orphanages) are inefficient. They all have vested interest and they do not want to speed up the adoption process.''
She said that ''child trafficking'' cannot be ruled out. ''One has to rationally and logically think about the shortage of kids vis-a-vis the number of families willing to adopt. It is not that more families have decided to go for adoption. Efforts should be made to find out where all the adopted children are going,'' Lekhi added.
Experts say families prefer to adopt normal children and not those with disabilities; complexion issues also matter. In 2009, around 100 children were cleared for inter-country adoption as they were not being adopted by local families. This included six children with some form of disability and 43 older kids. Thirty-one were rejected on medical ground and four on complexion issues.
''Local families seldom want to adopt special children or handicapped kids. Even children with medical problems are sometimes returned. Such kids are cleared by us for inter-country adoption as people in other countries are broad-minded and are willing to adopt such children,'' said Baig.
Read more: Only 367 kids for 900 on adoption waiting list - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Only-367-kids-for-900-on-adoption-waiting-list/articleshow/6868982.cms#ixzz14KT5o4NI
Smriti Singh, TNN, Nov 4, 2010, 04.56am IST
Tags:Co-ordinating Voluntary Adoption Resource Agency|adoption agencies NEW DELHI: More and more people are coming forward to adopt children but the number of kids with adoption agencies in the city that can be given for adoption has dropped drastically.
According to the latest data, about 900 families in the capital are waiting to adopt a child but only about 367 children — including special, handicapped and older children — are available for adoption with registered and recognized childcare centres in Delhi.
Co-ordinating Voluntary Adoption Resource Agency (CVARA), the nodal agency for adoption in the city, says that out of 900 families registered with it some even applied about two years back. ''You cannot rule out the possibility that some of these applicants might have gone for private adoption,'' said CVARA honorary secretary, Leila Baig. Even then, sources claim, about 60% of the registered applicants are still waiting to adopt a child.
''Many single people have approached us. Also, there are couples who prefer to adopt a girl child, which was not a favoured option 10-15 years back,'' said Baig.
Her claim is corroborated by the data of the past one decade. In 2000, 180 girls were adopted as against 121 boys. In 2010, 79 girls have been adopted till September as against 55 boys.
The waiting time for families wanting to adopt a girl child is about 1-2 years, while for a boy it is 2-3 years.
The reason for fewer children being available for adoption, say experts, can be attributed to several factors. ''It can be because there is less abandonment by destitute mother. The popularity of birth control measures among women can also be one of the reason for this,'' said Baig.
Supreme Court Lawyer Minakshi Lekhi, however, believes that there is another angle to the scenario. ''Government agencies and non-government agencies (orphanages) are inefficient. They all have vested interest and they do not want to speed up the adoption process.''
She said that ''child trafficking'' cannot be ruled out. ''One has to rationally and logically think about the shortage of kids vis-a-vis the number of families willing to adopt. It is not that more families have decided to go for adoption. Efforts should be made to find out where all the adopted children are going,'' Lekhi added.
Experts say families prefer to adopt normal children and not those with disabilities; complexion issues also matter. In 2009, around 100 children were cleared for inter-country adoption as they were not being adopted by local families. This included six children with some form of disability and 43 older kids. Thirty-one were rejected on medical ground and four on complexion issues.
''Local families seldom want to adopt special children or handicapped kids. Even children with medical problems are sometimes returned. Such kids are cleared by us for inter-country adoption as people in other countries are broad-minded and are willing to adopt such children,'' said Baig.
Read more: Only 367 kids for 900 on adoption waiting list - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Only-367-kids-for-900-on-adoption-waiting-list/articleshow/6868982.cms#ixzz14KT5o4NI