International adoption
[5] In the United States, typically the first stage of the process is selecting a licensed adoption agency or attorney to work with.
[citation needed] There are usually several requirements after this point, such as paperwork to make the child a legal citizen of the adopting parents' country or re-adopt them.
[11] Basic demographic data on origin and receiving countries since the 2000s have only recently been analyzed and summarized in a specialized publication.
In 2019, the top sending countries for children adopted by US citizens were China, Ukraine, Colombia, India, South Korea, Bulgaria, Haiti, Nigeria.
[18] In 2019, the top sending countries for children adopted by US citizens were China (819), Ukraine (298), Colombia (244), India (241), South Korea (166), Bulgaria (134), Haiti (130), and Nigeria (116).
[14] Romania, Belarus, Russia and Cambodia were also important until government crackdowns on adoptions to weed out abuse in the system cut off the flow.
[20] China has long been a major sending country in international adoption, but recently the numbers have fallen (although it still remains a leader), due to an improved Chinese economy and more restrictive laws.
For numerous reasons, including a recent amendment of the one child policy, the dwindling number of available females for marriage, and an increased prevalence of sex selective abortions, most orphanages in China now house only children with special needs, the majority of which are male.
However other relevant international legal instruments exist to ensure that the best interest of the child and the concern for their welfare inform the practices of intercountry adoption.
[38] The Declaration on Social and Legal Principles relating to the Protection and Welfare of Children, with Special Reference to Foster Placement and Adoption Nationally and Internationally (1986)[39] calls Member States to establish policy, legislation and effective supervision for the protection of children involved in intercountry adoption.
The principle of the best interests of the child should be a primary consideration in all actions concerning children, whether undertaken by public or private social welfare institutions, courts of law, administrative authorities or legislative bodies (art, 3).
It calls for coordination and direct cooperation between countries to ensure that appropriate safeguards promote the best interest of the child (Article 1) and prevent the abduction, sale, or trafficking of children.
To comply with international standards, many changes have been introduced in national legislation enacting laws to criminalize the act of obtaining improper gains from intercountry adoptions.
Especially during emergency situations, natural disasters or conflicts, has been found that children are adopted without following appropriate legal procedures and risk to be victims of trafficking and sale.
Congolese officials have said the suspension will remain in place until the parliament enacts new legislation reforming the adoption process.
[55] The Ethiopian Government's official news outlet, ENA, claims that the state banned international adoptions due to concerns over child abuse and neglect overseas.
[56] There were instances of children who were relinquished by their parents and listed as orphans on adoption registries, which led to the avoidance of undesirable court procedures.
[61] Additionally, the U.S. and Ethiopia have never had any kind of agreement that would outlaw child abduction, in special relation to international adoption.
[64] The U.S. embassy to Ethiopia reported that adoption numbers in the country had risen so much that extra staff had to be hired to handle to workload.
Eventually, Ethiopian adoption agencies in the capital of the country, Addis Ababa, began shutting down and going out of business.
Taiwan organizations that provide international adoption service work with foreign agency or governmental authority instead of individuals.
[86] Gender studies have also suggested that this is the result of the modern trend in the Global North of delaying conception of the first child, which increases the risk of reduced fertility and the demand for adoption.
[92] Within the European Union regulation, reference to intercountry adoption is made in article 4 of the Council Directive 2003/86/EC of 22 September 2003 on the right to family reunification.
[93] The article regulates the immigration of adoptive third-country-national children provided that the parents are established third country nationals within the European Union.
The NABSW (National Association of Black Social Workers) has concluded that, because of the historical relations between the two races, that white parents cannot adequately prepare their adopted children for how society treats people of color.
Adopting families in general have a variety of motivations, such as infertility, being a same-sex couple or single parent, and not wanting to contribute to human overpopulation.
Some adoptions compensate for problematic attitudes or practices in the source country, such as abandonment of girls and children with disabilities or serious medical problems, or for economic or aesthetic reasons.
[117] There is an increased risk, immediately following a disaster, that displaced and/or orphaned children may be more vulnerable to exploitation and child trafficking.
According to Child Welfare Information Gateway, "The home study process can feel intrusive and may highlight issues that you have not fully addressed.
[119] Blue Bayou, a film written and directed by Justin Chon, depicts a Korean-American man who was adopted by a white family and is at risk for deportation because his parents did not file for his citizenship.
