Adopted? Only financial support for a group search in the country of origin

People whose adoption did not go well and who want to investigate where their roots lie in their country of origin can receive financial support for this. But they only receive a subsidy for these so-called roots trips if they make them in a group. Minister Franc Weerwind for Legal Protection does not intend to give money for individual trips, he said during a debate.

He wants the subsidy scheme to come into effect by October at the latest. Interest groups can submit project proposals for this. According to the minister, these searches will contain many common elements and questions, such as the role of the embassy in the country in question and where to start a search. He thinks it is better that people make such a journey together so that they can support each other if necessary. As far as he is concerned, these are small groups of no more than five people. The PvdA, among others, disagrees and prefers personal support.

Central mediation organization

The House largely supports far-reaching changes to the adoption system that Weerwind is going to implement, such as the establishment of one central intermediary organisation. These are necessary because a lot has gone wrong with adoptions from abroad for years, a study revealed. Two years ago, intercountry adoption was suspended, because abuses still occurred then.

Weerwind is looking at which countries the Netherlands can enter into an adoption relationship with again. He won't say more about that until September. In any case, it must concern countries that have the same constitutional guarantees as the Netherlands. The minister mentioned Portugal, Peru, Colombia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia as countries that are still being analyzed in more detail.

Child on one

The starting point of the new system is the best interests of the child. This means that parents are sought for a child instead of a child for intended parents. The Netherlands will also only admit adopted children if the child cannot be cared for appropriately in its own environment or country. Ultimately, it could mean that no more children will be taken from any country in the future, because everything is well organized there, Weerwind acknowledged.

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