The discussion on international adoptions
In several European countries, there is currently a lively discussion about international adoptions. The debate started when the Netherlands decided to stop all international adoptions for the time being, the half-finished adoption processes are of course completed.
However, the discussion has been going on for many years. For example, Denmark temporarily stopped international adoptions in 2019, investigating the operability and ethics of the adoption system, until 2020 when international adoptions resumed. Last year, practices in international adoption by third parties were also reviewed in Sweden and the current model was found to work.
The investigations are a result of concerns about the ethics of international adoptions, as individual adoptions have been shown to contain irregularities. The discussion and investigations have been useful. The Swedish Inquiry's final report contains recommendations on, for example, developing services after adoption and Nordic co-operation, and it pays to listen to these recommendations here in Finland as well.
Why does bureaucracy take so much time?
We wish that the ongoing discussion for practice in international adoption a few steps forward again and open up new perspectives. In the public discussion, bureaucracy and the long process of adoptions are often seen as a negative thing. Hopefully we will see a shift from the point of view of the parents and the expectants also to the perspective of the adopted children.
The best interests of the child form the basis of the adoption organizations' activities and adoption is a legal process whose all stages are carried out for the benefit of all parties to the adoption.
The regulation of adoptions has developed over many decades
Practices and legislation in international adoption have changed a lot in recent decades. Finland was for a long time a country that left children for international adoption, but the direction changed in the 1970s when the first international adoptees came to Finland. In the beginning, these adoptions were of a private nature and the organizations acted almost as advisors. The first adoption law that regulated international adoption came into force in 1985, giving the adoption organizations official status as adoption service bodies.
The Hague Convention (Adoption Convention) was adopted in 1993 and Finland ratified it in 1997. Interpedia was actively involved in the European and Nordic networks that contributed to the emergence of the Hague Convention. The convention stipulates, among other things, that the child must primarily be relocated to the country of birth.
Finland's adoption law was renewed in the 2010s and in connection with that, the requirements for private adoptions became stricter. Without the mediation of adoption service bodies, nowadays only adoptions within the family are carried out.
A new opportunity for the child
In our contact countries, international adoption is a marginal phenomenon and an extreme measure in child protection. For an individual child, it may be a new opportunity and the only chance to have a family.
The record year in adoption was in the 2000s, especially due to the adoptions from China. By the time we got to the 2010s, China's prosperity had increased to a point where the country's child protection and national adoption took great strides forward. The need for international adoption was shifted to include children with special needs. We have seen the same development in other contact countries. The number of international adoptions has dropped significantly from the record year.
Nowadays, adoptions are very individual and tailor-made and the starting point is to make the child's needs match the resources of the adoption applicants.
The adoption field is alive and constantly evolving
We work with partners with whom we have a confidential relationship. We have discussions with them and we share common positions on adoption and common ethical principles. In addition, we must also know the legislation and practices of our contact countries in child protection. At the same time, we must constantly evaluate our operations and, if necessary, change direction if the conditions for cooperation are not met.
During these decades, a lot has happened in our contact countries as well. In several countries, the child protection system has developed very much and the adoption system has been renewed many times. As adoption actors and legislators develop practices in international adoptions, they must balance between the requirements of the legal process and how long it is considered reasonable for the child to wait for decisions.
Despite the fact that the international adoption processes have developed noticeably from their first decades, the fact remains that it is sensitive when a child is placed in adoption. In the background is always the reality that someone has had to give up their child. The circumstances are always individual and the parties to the adoption go through them at different stages of their lives.
Hopefully this discussion will bring the adoption work forward again. We hope that it promotes the knowledge of what the adoption business is today and what changes have taken place within it. For children who need a family, international adoption is not the right option in all circumstances, but for any child it may be the only option to have a family. We still live in a very incomplete world.
Are you thinking about your own process?
Does the current discussion raise questions or concerns? Adopted, adoptive parents and relatives of the adoptive families are welcome to discuss with our adoption service unless something in their own process or background raises concerns.
In recent years, we have invested heavily in developing the services after the adoption. Read more:
For adoptees - Frequently asked questions
Post-adoption services
Contact: jalkipalvelu@interpedia.fi or by phone / Whatsapp 050 919 5387