The Netherlands Suspends InterCountry Adoptions

From here:
“The Dutch Ministry of Justice and Security reported on February 8 that the Netherlands decided to suspend all intercountry adoptions. The Ministry stated that they made this decision based on recommendations from the Committee Investigating Past Intercountry Adoption, which was tasked with investigating adoptions from abroad and possible illicit practices from 1967-1998. The Committee determined that during that period, the adoption infrastructure was not sufficient to prevent illicit practices and to safeguard the interests of adoptees. Additional details can be found here.

As a result, the Committee recommended the immediate suspension of all intercountry adoption procedures for new applicants seeking a “permit in principle” in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands is one of the top receiving countries for outgoing adoptions from the United States.

The Office of Children’s Issues and Consulate General Amsterdam contacted the Dutch Central Authority to understand how this decision will impact U.S. children currently in the process of being adopted by Dutch families.

In the Netherlands, people receive a “permit in principle,” which is a general permission to adopt. At this time, the Dutch Central Authority has informed us that prospective adoptive parents who have already received a “permit in principle” will be allowed to proceed with their adoption. Matching proposals will still be reviewed by the Dutch Central Authority, and outgoing adoption procedures from the United States can be completed. All new applicants, and families who have not yet received a “permit in principle,” will go on hold.

For information about how to proceed if your case is in process, please contact the Adoption Authorities in the Netherlands. We understand communication should go through the Central Authority on international Children’s Issues or the FIOM/Adoption Services. Their contact information is included below:

FIOM/Adoption Services
Postbus 290,
3500 AG Utrecht
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 30 233 0340
Fax: +31 30 232 1777
Email: (messages via website below)
Website: www.adoptie.nl

Central Authority on International Children’s Issues
Postbus 20301
2500 EH Den Haag
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 70 370 62 52″

*****

“The Netherlands is suspending international adoptions after a government commission found that some children had been stolen or purchased from their birth parents, Legal Protection Minister Sander Dekker announced on Monday.

Increasing numbers of grown-up adopted children discovered that their birth documents had disappeared or had been forged, or that their adoptions had been illegal.

The commission announced that it would freeze adoptions “immediately” because the national foreign adoption system remains susceptible to fraud and abuse “to this day.”

What did the commission find?

The commission examined cases from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Indonesia and Sri Lanka from 1967 to 1998, but concluded that abuse took place long before and after this period.

It said that in some cases, children adopted via intermediaries were found to have been stolen or bought from their birth parents under economic pressure amidst poverty.

The Dutch government was already aware of the abuses in the late 1960s, and in a number of cases government oficials were “involved in adoption abuses,” Dutch daily De Telegraaf reported the commission as saying.

Around 40,000 children from 80 countries had been adopted in the previous half century by Dutch parents.
How did the Dutch government react?

In a letter announcing the adoption freeze, Dekker said he “understood that this will be painful for some people, but let us not forget … we are protecting children and their biological parents.”

The minister apologized to the adopted children, adoptive parents and birth parents who were harmed in the practice.

The Dutch government failed “by turning a blind eye on abuse for years,” he said.

Dekker said it would be up to the next administration to decide whether to renew overseas adoption practices that would not entail abuses.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s government resigned last month over a child welfare fraud scandal but is staying on in a caretaker role to tackle the pandemic until parliamentary elections in March.”

Netherlands suspends international adoptions after abuses

[DW 2/8/21]

REFORM Puzzle Piece