Fewer foreign homes for 'desi' kids

With adoption rules being made stringent and the government giving preference to families within the country, adoption of Indian babies by foreigners is on the decline.

Only 593 Indian babies were adopted by people abroad in 2010, compared to 853 in 2006. And the number of Indian children adopted by US citizens has almost halved in 10 years.

Data from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) show inter-country adoption has been falling over the years, indicating that Indian children are no longer preferable options abroad.

According to CARA, domestic adoption stood at 5,693 in 2010, a rise from 2,409 in 2006. But experts say the latest figure is high because several adoption agencies registered with the Centre only in 2010.

A senior official from the Federation of Adoption Agencies of the Maharashtra government said:  “A lot of adoption agencies were earlier registered with state governments only. Since 2010, the Centre has emphasised on bringing all agencies under one roof. Thus the figures for 2010 show a sudden rise. But otherwise there is a dip as fewer babies are available for adoption.”

One reason for the decline in inter-country adoptions is preference to domestic couples, says Anu J Singh, member secretary, CARA. “The ratio for domestic and inter-country adoption, which was 50:50 earlier, has now been revised to 80:20 in favour of Indian couples,” Singh added.

Child abuse and trafficking abroad is another factor. Mamta Sahai, chairperson, Child Welfare Committee, said, “A majority of inter-country adoptions are found to be harmful as some adoption agencies give away children to foreigners because they are paid more.”

Indian children have been traditionally adopted in the US, Italy and Spain. But data from the Bureau of Consular Affairs, US state department, show adoption of Indian children by US citizens has fallen to 241 in 2010 from 472 in 1999.

It’s not that the number of adoption in the US has reduced, as couples in America adopted 3,401 babies from China and 1,079 from Russia in 2010.

Dr Neelima Mehta, president of the Indian Association for Promotion of Adoption and Child Welfare, said, “Inter- country adoption figures have gone down because the main aim of adoption agencies is to rehabilitate the child within the country.”
—With inputs from Somita Pal