Complex Laws, Bureaucratic Tangles Make Adoption A Long, Painful Journey For Indians

When educationist Geet Oberoi decided to adopt her first child, Indya, 14 years ago, procedural

delays were the first stumbling block. She was single and had to wait for three years before she

could adopt a child. In 2010, Priya Ramanathan, also single, ran into the same wall. She wanted

to adopt a seven-month-old baby, but was told that it would take more than two years as single

parents were not the preferred choice. Many agencies wouldn’t even accept applications from

them. She was lucky, though—the child had health issues and was therefore not preferred by

others looking to adopt. In Calcutta, Nibedita Sen, who was looking after the two daughters of

her househelp, reached out to Childline for formally adopting the kids. She had not imagined

what this could lead to. She and the biological mother were taken to court, which decided to

take custody of the children until they turned adults. The kids thus ended up being separated

from both the mothers.

“I was 31 when I applied for adoption. At that time, even some judges were opposed to the idea

of a single woman becoming an adoptive parent,” says Oberoi. Adopting her second daughter,

Maya, turned out to be less arduous, adds Oberoi, who feels there is an urgent need to

streamline the process. “There is no proper system in place to ensure a secure future for

orphaned children. It takes at least three years to clear a child for adoption, but, by that time,

the children are older and there would be no takers. Instead of strict rules, there should be

child protection services to follow up on adopted kids,” she says.