Is it wise to stop adoption? 'Got opportunities that I would otherwise never get'

Source: www.at5.nl

Publication date: 21 February 2021

Sander Huisman, eligible for election for the ChristenUnie and known to some as the face of the AFCA Supportersclub, does not think the adoption stop is justified. He was himself adopted from Indonesia in 1979.

The reason for the adoption stop, which was instituted last week by Minister Dekker, is an investigation by

the Joustra Committee. He concluded that a lot had gone wrong with adoptions abroad between 1967 and

1997. For example, it concerned child theft and forgery of documents.

'It is of course very sad and regrettable if abuses arise around adoption or if adoption cases simply did not

go well,' says Huisman. 'There has simply been insufficient supervision, there have been insufficient careful

procedures from the 1970s to the 1990s, in fact. They are simply flawed, which has created harrowing

situations. '

February 21, 2021, 07:00 pm · By Editors

CITY

Huisman has no signs that things went wrong with his adoption. 'I was picked up from Indonesia by my

Dutch parents. Raised in Steenwijk. And I can remember having a very nice childhood in which my father was

open about why I was here. '

He does not know exactly how his adoption went. 'I do know that I was adopted from a nursing home. And

taken there to be adopted. Of course I have often had the question and often faced the choice, am I going

after my story? Am I going back, looking for my biological parents? '

Research by the Joustra Committee shows that 70 percent of the children are happy with the adoption, and

Huisman agrees. A petition was also started to end the stop of adoptions as soon as possible, it has already

been signed about 12,000 times.

"I don't think you should definitely stop," says Huisman. 'My story is very personal. I describe how lucky and

lucky I have been through my adoption. I've been given opportunities that I otherwise never would have. I

was raised in a family where I was really part of the family. I've had every opportunity at school, in terms of

work, in terms of politics. I have my story to tell and I think that should not be missing among all the

poignant cases that there are. '