Stop adoption of children from abroad

Wednesday, November 2nd, 2016

Stop adoption of children from abroad

The Netherlands must stop the adoption of children from abroad. The right of children to grow up in a family in the country of origin should be unconditionally paramount. This advises the Board of Criminal Justice and Protection of Juveniles (RSJ) Wednesday to the Cabinet.

"A child is always better off in a family than in a home and it is very important that a child has continuity of upbringing," said juvenile court Jolande Calkoen, who is a member of the RSJ Wednesday in Trouw. "So that it remains in an environment where it knows the culture, the social environment and the language."

The Council examined the request of the government on how prospective adoptive children can best be protected. The RSJ finds that adoption offers many benefits to the individual child, but feels that too much insoluble risk are sticking in its entirety to the system. The RSJ does emphasize in the report that adoptive parents and agencies did nothing wrong.

"Growing up in a family that is why the country of origin is preferred," said Calkoen. By stopping with adoption, children are better off. "Ultimately, you help more children by supporting them on the spot with good youth protection than have some children coming here. We could, if children are offered here in the Netherlands, locally approach organizations such as Terre des Hommes and UNICEF to see if there are no foster homes in the country of origin. Now it happens too little. "

The RSJ believes that a demand-driven market "was created by the desire of Western parents to adopt foreign children and the financial interests involved. This market trades in children without family and does not always put the interests of the child first, says the RSJ.

"The fact that children’s homes are not emptier, does point out that it seems to be a demand-driven market. It also appeared that most of the children offered for adoption, do have parents. They are not orphans. You can then ask yourself if it was really the intention of that mother to give up the child, "said Calkoen. "It is better and more durable to help in the building of child protection in the country of origin."