Adoptions from Vietnam suffer major setback
Tuesday November 24 2009
EFFORTS to resume adoptions from Vietnam for Irish couples were delivered a major setback last night after a damning report said it was "disturbed" at the manner in which babies are deemed "abandoned".
Adoptions between Ireland and Vietnam were halted in May after the agreement between the two countries was not renewed, leaving hundreds of Irish couples in limbo.
In a further blow, the long- awaited report by UNICEF into adoption in Vietnam, published yesterday, raised serious concerns about the checks and balances to safeguard children there.
The investigation showed the number of children adopted in Ireland from Vietnam grew to 181 last year. However it said the availability of children who are adoptable in Vietnam appears to be driven more by demands from foreign adopters than the actual needs of "abandoned" and orphaned children.
"As a result the overwhelming majority of adopted children are under one year of age, the age group most sought after by prospective adopters," the report said. It also revealed how the circumstances under which babies become "adoptable" are unclear and disturbing.
Declarations that the child was "abandoned" are " notoriously difficult" to investigate and intriguingly the numbers come in "peaks and troughs".
It also found an "unhealthy relationship" between adoption agencies in foreign countries and the residential facilities in Vietnam from where the children were adopted.
Contributions
It referred to the compulsory and sizable financial contributions from the agencies under the banner "humanitarian aid".
Agencies who were competing for children believed the number who are available for adoption should be linked to the amount they pay the residential centres in Vietnam.
The report referred to the Helping Hands agency in Ireland, which was charged with facilitating adoptions from Vietnam.
Last June it wrote to the Adoption Authority claiming the Vietnamese authorities were looking for a $1,000 increase in the "fee" they had to pay. This raised the fee to $11,000 (€7,300) for Irish parents.
- Eilish O'Regan Health Correspondent
Irish Independent
