Sharp drop in children available to be adopted

Politicians, many of whom admitted to being heavily lobbied by prospective adoptive parents, have locked horns with children’s rights groups and the Adoption Authority over the sharp drop in children available for intercountry adoption.

There are 14 Irish people seeking to adopt for every child available for adoption, according to the AAI.

Children’s Right’s Alliance deputy chief executive Maria Corbett strongly defended the previous government’s decision to sign up to the 2010 Hague Convention on adoption saying “international adoption can fall victim to criminal acts such as corruption and the trafficking of children” and that Hague safeguards were “about managing this risk that is inherently involved in international adoption”.

Adoption rights advocate Edel Byrne warned that adoption in Ireland is characterised by a “disturbing culture of entitlement” on the part of prospective parents that isn’t questioned by “weak politicians”.

If child protection is not to the fore of international adoption, our intercountry adoption system will have “all the hallmarks of a Ryan Report of the future”, she warned.

Susan Lohan of the Adoption Rights Alliance said she was concerned about the “connection” between international adoption and government trade missions abroad. “This feeds into the narrative of children as a commodity,” she said.

Questions were raised at yesterday’s Dáil committee on health and children about the number of children adopted into Ireland since the Hague Convention, which puts minimal protections in place for adopted children, was introduced. Adoptive parents complain the convention is making it difficult for them to find adoptive children.

It emerged 117 intercountry adoptions took place in 2012 and an approximate 11 children have been adopted into this country under terms that comply with Hague since 2010.

The Adoption Authority said the remaining 100-plus adoptive parents had received their declaration, allowing them to adopt, before Ireland signed up to Hague but it took years before they could find a suitable child to bring home.

Ruth Lennon from the International Adoption Association said: “We urgently need to engage [countries] where children are available.” She also said money was being wasted by the HSE on parental assessments when there was a slim chance of the parents ever finding a child to adopt due to the 50% drop in global adoptions.

Senator John Crown also expressed concerns that the adoption process in Ireland “was too restrictive”, while TD Mary Mitchell O’Connor said she had “serious issues” with the pre-Hague intercountry adoption system being described as corrupt as she knew many children who were very happy with “brilliant families”.

Ms Lennon said: “Just over 18 million children worldwide have lost both their parents.”

However, Kiernan Gildea of the AAI said adoptive parents will have to realise that adoptive children will be older and may have additional needs.

Senator Jillian Van Turnhout reminded prospective parents there are 6,500 children in care in Ireland, with a third in long-term foster care and legislation is needed so they can be adopted.