Analysis: Denmark should adopt children from fewer countries

Analysis: Denmark should adopt children from fewer countries

By Lisbeth Quass, Berlingske News

27 June 2014 01:12

Need to cut down on the number of countries that adopt children from Denmark, is the recommendation of an analysis by the Ministry of Social Affairs.

Denmark will in future adopt children from fewer countries. This is the recommendation of an analysis of the adoption system from the Ministry of Social Affairs, writes Politiken.

It is suggested that Denmark should cooperate with fewer than 19 countries, as is the case today.

So that everything goes by the book, one should also remove any confusion between humanitarian work and adoptions, so adoption agencies should not operate their own aid projects in those countries they are adopting from, says the analysis.

The adoption system is facing a reform, among other matters related to the adopted child Masho who was adopted from Ethiopia, though her biological parents are living, and Amy, whose mother also lives, but who also was adopted from Ethiopia.

In addition, there has been criticism of the financial mess and disorder in the paperwork of the two adoption agencies DanAdopt and AC International Child Support. It appears, according to Politiken, however, to be an analysis with specific prospects awaiting for DanAdopt and AC International Child Support.

Co-founder of Adoption Policy Forum and adoption researcher Anders Riel Müller believes that one can continue with a system that 'for years has seen to overlook that 40 percent of the children who were adopted from Ethiopia, had living parents'.

He calls for an independent oversight of the countries Denmark adopts from.

The Parliamentary Committee on Social Affairs shall now proceed to find a model for the adoption system. And the new adoption system should be based on the children, said Social Affairs Minister Manu Sareen (R) Politiken.

"It is primarily the ones it's all about," said the minister.