Intercountry adoption is a good option for a child
Intercountry adoption is a good option for children who cannot be cared for in their own country. This is what Femmie Juffer and Anneke Vinke write in a response to the recent report of the Council for the Application of Criminal Justice and Youth Protection.
A reaction to the report 'Reflection on intercountry adoption' of the Council for the Application of Criminal Justice and Youth Protection. By prof.dr. Femmie Juffer (endowed professor of Adoption Studies) and Dr. Anneke Vinke (chairman of the ADOC Knowledge Center for Adoption and Foster Care).
International scientific research convincingly shows that growing up in a children's home has long-term negative consequences for child development. This concerns all areas of development: the brain, physical growth, attachment, intelligence and school performance, and social-emotional functioning. Children are much better off in a family.
The Netherlands has signed the Hague Adoption Convention, which states that intercountry adoption is a last resort for children who would otherwise have to grow up in a children's home. It must be clear that a child cannot grow up in its own family or in a foster or adoptive family in its own country. Only then is intercountry adoption a responsible option for the child according to the Hague Adoption Convention.
Domestic adoption gets more space
It is not for nothing that intercountry adoption is mentioned as last in line. It is important that children are given the opportunity to grow up in a family as close to home as possible. It is a good thing that there are more and more countries where domestic adoption is being or has been given a place. The favorable result is that more children grow up in a family instead of a home. That is also one of the reasons why the number of intercountry adoptions is declining, in the Netherlands and worldwide. Unfortunately, it is not yet the case that a family can be found for every child in their own country.
Big catch up
Intercountry adoption is certainly not the last option in the row of proven effectivemeasures. Compared to children who are left behind in a home, intercountry adoptees are much better off. Numerous scientific studies and meta-analyses have shown that adopted children make a surprisingly large catch-up in all areas of child development: physical growth, attachment, mental and social-emotional skills. And compared with foster children, adopted children experience more stability: while the percentage of transfers and aborted placements in foster care in the Netherlands and neighboring countries is between 25 and 45 percent, the percentage for adopted children is much lower: 3 to 6 percent. In comparison with foster care, adoption offers children more stability and a permanent family.
What do adoptees themselves think?
It is also important what intercountry adoptees themselves think. In addition to experience stories, there is scientific research in which the voice of the adoptees is heard. For example, an extensive meta-analysis showed that intercountry adoptees have just as good a self-image as domestic adoptees and non-adopters. That was based not only on reporting about the adoptees, but also on their own opinion. And in a recent ADOC survey, the vast majority of intercountry adoptees indicated that they were satisfied with their lives.
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