Kerala, India: Adoption “Crisis”

…Because ONLY 72 children are waiting for adoption.

“At least 800 childless couples in Kerala are waiting to adopt a child, but the availability of children in orphanages is a big issue as just 72 are waiting for adoption. The couples say the legal procedures are daunting.

Ambika and Anil Kumar have not been able to have a child yet. The couple registered to adopt a child 4 years back, but has been kept waiting. The agency they approached kept telling them that there was a dearth of children up for adoption.

“I have lost all hope that we will get a child, there is no effect of the treatment and even adoption does not look viable now. The visit to the adoption centre is really painful as I hear a ‘no’ every time. No woman should undergo this suffering,” says Ambika.

Many like Ambika and Anil Kumar have been waiting for years for a twinkle in their eyes. Their wait for a child continues even after four years of registering for adoption and 17 years of marriage. They have now lost all hope of bringing up a child.

The Centre’s policy that adoptive parents should have an income of Rs 3 lakh has also not helped as Anil Kumar is a daily wage labourer. “We also tried at centres in Tamil Nadu and Bangalore, but all that was in vain. We underwent treatment for 8 to 9 years, had to sell our land to meet treatment expenses. But after all this, no hope,” Anil says.

A major reason for the increase in prospective adoptive parents in Kerala is the rising infertility rate. It has shot up to 15 per cent now. The number of registrations jumped from 346 to 800 from 1995 to 2014.

The number of children being abandoned at orphanages has gone down. Yet, social workers say illegal adoptions continue. “Illegal adoptions from hospitals, nursing homes also happen, we have a lot of rules and laws to regulate this but this is still going on,” said Saritha, a social worker.

Social workers say the number of children placed under institutional care has gone up as many single parents are unable to take care of them. They suggest prospective adoptees could become foster parents.

“I think we can give another message that if they are not getting a child for adoption they can think about foster care, that will help children who are stuck in institutions, they will also get a family,” said Meena Kuruvilla, member, Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights

Some couples have tried taking children into foster care from other states like Odisha and Jharkhand. However, the recent case where several hundred children were transported to an orphanage in Malappuram illegally shows concerns remain over child trafficking.

“There are complaints about unauthorised adoptions, so that needs a societal awareness community based vigilant system to check these unauthorised practices,” said VN Jithendran, Director of Social Justice Department.”

Kerala: Couples in the waiting for 4 years for child adoption, only 72 kids on the list for 800 applicants[IBN live 10/28/14 by Neethu Reghukumar]

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