THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Child Welfare Committee in Malappuram and a licensed child adoption agency were found offering children for adoption without complying with the respective laws earlier this month.To avoid such illegal practices, the Department of Women and Child Development along with the State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) have made adoption rules more stringent.
As per the statistics available with SARA, 1,238 applications have been received until now in the state. Among them, 1,207 are from within the country and 31 from outside. As many as 132 children were adopted in the state during 2018-19. According to Nijo Sebastian, programme manager, SARA, strict procedures are being followed before a child is given for adoption. “Couples who wish to adopt should register their names on the official portal of the Central Adoption Resource Agency with relevant documents, including their marriage certificate. After this, a home study is done by the district child protection officers and social workers. Only after a detailed study, a child is given for adoption to avoid any kind of malpractice,” said Nijo.
“To curb illegal adoptions, we have been giving awareness classes to the public regarding the method of adoption,” said Sreeja S, protection officer (non-institutional care), Thiruvananthapuram.
The state government has now ordered a detailed audit and probe into all specialised adoption agencies to compile the whereabouts of all children who have been given for adoption.
Kerala State Council for Child Welfare general secretary Deepak S P said: “There are many parents who are willing to adopt but there are not enough children. But, the practice of trading children exists in orphanages. As many as 29 children went missing from an adoption centre in Malappuram. To put an end to such cases, the adoption committees have been reconstituted in all districts.”The council facilitated adoption of 107 children in the last two years, he added.The state government has undertaken corrective measures on adoption procedures to ensure that the children who are adopted end up in safe hands.
what numbers say
As per the statistics available with State Adoption Resource Agency, 1,238 applications have been received until now in the state. Among them, 1,207 are from within the country and 31 from outside. As many as 132 children were adopted in the state during 2018-19
