What Is International Adoption?
International adoption refers to the process of adopting a child of a different nationality from a country other than your own. Any individuals trying to adopt a child internationally should meet the legal requirements and undergo the procedures as stipulated by the mother state. In 2005, reports indicate that over 50 % of the children who were adopted around the globe, were adopted into the US. However, in 2014 the number dropped by 72 percent.Factors Behind The Decline Of International Adoption
In the year 2004, international adoption was at its peak in North America. Yet, currently, overseas adoption has dramatically plummeted. For instance, in 2014, only 6,441 kids were internationally adopted in the United States of America. The first question you may ask yourself is what happened to the process? Some of the factors that have contributed to the decrease of international child adoption include:- Child Abuse - Over the years some cases of child abuse have made news. For instance, in the year 2008, Russia banned adoption by the American agencies after the death of a child which occurred after his guardian left him locked in a hot vehicle.
- Regional Politics - Politics play a significant role in a country's policy-making. Ethiopian lawmakers revoked overseas adoption in January this year citing the death of a small girl of Ethiopian nationality who died of malnutrition in the US.
- Efforts To Safeguard Children - Due to many cases of child abuse making headlines, most countries have joined hands to protect the welfare of children. There have been some cases where adoptive parents have violated their children. In an effort to protect children from such abuse, most countries have made the process of overseas adoption more complicated.
- Hague Policies - Currently, the Hague has laid strict adoption policies that were intended to solve many problems associated with adoption and make the process simpler and more straightforward. For instance, according to The Hague Adoption Convention, the concerned parties should establish a proper paper trail to record the history of the child. Unfortunately, many of these policies have contributed to the decline of international adoptions, partially because these policies are difficult for poorer countries to adhere to.
- Cultural Differences - Chances are if a family is adopting a child internationally, they will not share the same ethnicity or religion. This has been cited as a reason to decline some adoptions by some critics who wish to maintain a child’s “birth culture.”
The above factors are just some of the reasons in the long list of why international adoption has taken a nosedive over the last decade.
To learn more about adoptions, contact our Adoptions From The Heart offices in:
Greensburg, PA (Pittsburgh)
1225 S. Main St #207
Greensburg, PA 15601
(724) 853-6533
Philadelphia, PA
30 Hampstead Cir
Wynnewood, PA 19096
(610) 642-7200
Allentown, PA
2212 Union Blvd
Allentown, PA 18109
(610) 432-2384
Chesapeake, Virginia
1407 Stephanie Way #H
Chesapeake, Virginia 23320
(757) 361-0008
Glastonbury, Connecticut
703 Hebron Ave #1
Glastonbury, CT 06033
(860) 657-2626
Harrisburg/Lancaster, PA
1525 Oregon Pike
Lancaster, PA 17601
(717) 399-7766
Cherry Hill, New Jersey
451 Woodland Ave
Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
(856) 665-5655
Wilmington, Delaware
18A Trolley Square
Wilmington, DE 19806
(302) 658-8883
