I run a support group for adoptive parents, all of whom have adopted foreign born children. They had a strong collective response to the article by Kristof regarding the Reuter's expose of plight of "re-homed" children entitled "When Children Are Traded"
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/opinion/kristof-when-children-are-traded.html?hp&rref=opinion
Concerns fell in three major categories. First, as parents working hard to attend to traumas their children experienced in orphanages and foster care abroad, they felt deep concern regarding agencies’ failure to prepare parents appropriately and provide follow-up services. Many families bring home children with an inadequate understanding of the developmental delays and behavioral problems that result from children spending the beginning of life in institutional settings and being separated from birth mothers and subsequent caregivers.
Second, the statistic that 10-25% of adoptions don't work out has no citation. This is a dramatic and somewhat dubious statistic, even more so because it is deeply disturbing and gives adoption very negative press. Are we to believe 1 in 10 or 1 in 4 adoptions "don't work out" not exclusively international adoptions of older children, just "adoptions" ? When the Times publishes data like this without giving sources it it does adoptive families everywhere a disservice.
Third, tying the issue of foreign adoption to domestic policies such as food stamp programs, funding for education, etc misses the point entirely. While these are important issues, the questions that rehoming raises do not lie in this arena. Most immediately, it raises the issue of quickly finding a way to regulate and stop this child trafficking in our country. There are many actions that need to be taken to do this form legislative to better adoption education and preparation. The current Hague Convention rules, designed to stop baby trafficking in adoptions from abroad, need to be amended with an eye to getting children placed in homes as early as possible, thereby limiting early traumatic experience and attachment issues. Prospective adoptive parents need much more pre and post adoption support and education. Additionally business practices in adoption need to be reexamined and revamped.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/21/opinion/kristof-when-children-are-traded.html?hp&rref=opinion
Concerns fell in three major categories. First, as parents working hard to attend to traumas their children experienced in orphanages and foster care abroad, they felt deep concern regarding agencies’ failure to prepare parents appropriately and provide follow-up services. Many families bring home children with an inadequate understanding of the developmental delays and behavioral problems that result from children spending the beginning of life in institutional settings and being separated from birth mothers and subsequent caregivers.
Second, the statistic that 10-25% of adoptions don't work out has no citation. This is a dramatic and somewhat dubious statistic, even more so because it is deeply disturbing and gives adoption very negative press. Are we to believe 1 in 10 or 1 in 4 adoptions "don't work out" not exclusively international adoptions of older children, just "adoptions" ? When the Times publishes data like this without giving sources it it does adoptive families everywhere a disservice.
Third, tying the issue of foreign adoption to domestic policies such as food stamp programs, funding for education, etc misses the point entirely. While these are important issues, the questions that rehoming raises do not lie in this arena. Most immediately, it raises the issue of quickly finding a way to regulate and stop this child trafficking in our country. There are many actions that need to be taken to do this form legislative to better adoption education and preparation. The current Hague Convention rules, designed to stop baby trafficking in adoptions from abroad, need to be amended with an eye to getting children placed in homes as early as possible, thereby limiting early traumatic experience and attachment issues. Prospective adoptive parents need much more pre and post adoption support and education. Additionally business practices in adoption need to be reexamined and revamped.