(Google translation)
Belgium 01/05/16
‘Adoption from abroad is an ending story, “writes former minister Wivina Demeester in an opinion piece in The Standard. “Today the many years of waiting and the costs are very high. Unjustifiable more, actually. ”
Too long queues and too expensive “Adoption from abroad is a ending story ‘
Wivina Demeester was ten years chairman of adoption agency Ray of Hope, traveled to various African and Asian countries and visited there international organizations such as UNICEF, Plan International and Save the Children. She believes that adoption from abroad is a finite story.
“Would I recommend today’s parents to adopt inter-country? I do not think so.’ Demeester herself has an adoptive daughter and plays especially the evolution card of the adoption procedure.
No longer responsible
“Between the decision to prepare you as parents for Intercountry Adoption and the arrival of your child now takes five to seven years. When Demeester adopted (her adopted daughter led, red) it was 18 months. The “cost” was reasonable. Today it is waiting for many years and the cost is very high. Unjustifiable more, actually. ”
She thinks that intercountry adoption is an ending story, partly because it “is no longer considered as the most suitable for the child both at home and abroad.
Ending story
“If the countries of origin respect the Hague Convention, which increasingly happens, they’ll first look at parents who want to adopt in their country of origin,” says Demeester on Radio 1.
“China and India do that for example. There are only special needs children, with a disability, who are offered for adoption. That is not establishing appropriate intercountry adoption. It is, of course, a subsiding story. ”
Demeester recommends two proposals in the short term. First, she wants to merge the three existing intermediary organizations together into one organization. In addition, “urgently an agreement needs to be concluded between the federal Central Authority (FCA) and the Flemish Central Authority (VCA) to sit at regular intervals around the table and discuss current files so that they are on the same wavelength.
Read the full opinion piece here: http://www.standaard.be/cnt/dmf20160104_02048818 (NSK)
