THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Kerala State Council for Child Welfare has set a record by successfully facilitating the adoption of 50 children in the past six months. Of those, ten children were adopted by people overseas, including from Italy, Denmark, Spain, the US and the UAE. Foreign couples are showing increased interest in adopting children with special needs, resulting in eight such adoptions this year.
A total of 24 children have found new homes in Kerala through the adoption process. While ten children were welcomed into families in Tamil Nadu, one child each was adopted by parents in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Goa. Three children were adopted by families in Karnataka. Of the 50 children taken for adoption this year, 23 were from the adoption centre in the state capital, said state child welfare council general secretary G L Arun Gopi.
He pointed out that the introduction of a digital process through the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) helped get more inquiries from abroad. “We were able to give many children for adoption in a short period of time due to the transparent process. These children came here through Ammathottil and various other means. The council has been providing adequate care and security to the children. And we also make sure we follow the rules and regulations,” Arun said.
The Kerala State Council for Child Welfare has received over 3,000 adoption applications from both domestic and international applicants, underscoring a demand for adoption. Currently, 164 children are under the committee’s care and 20 children are set to leave soon after completing the adoption process.
“The council’s responsibilities extend beyond adoption to include protection and education. Funding for these comes from the sale of Children’s Day stamps and through goodwill donations,” Arun said.