5 Things Will Happen as International Adoption Decreases
International adoptions have been on the decline since 2004. Here's what will happen if that decline continues.
Jennifer Mellon
July 31, 2018
International adoptions have been on a steady decline since their peak in 2004 when I first entered the field. When I worked for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, there were 22,989 adoptions completed from other countries to the United States. According to the United States Department of State’s FY 2017 Annual Report on Intercountry Adoption, only 4,714 children were adopted in the United States through intercountry adoption between October 2016 and September 2017. This is a 12% decline from 5,372 children adopted internationally to the U.S. the previous year and a 79% decline since the peak of intercountry adoptions in 2004 when I first entered the field. If intercountry adoptions continue to decline, these 5 things will happen.
2. 140 Million Children Will Continue to Live Without the Love and Protection of a Forever Family
If international adoptions to the United States continue to decline, the children will suffer the most. According to UNICEF’s most recent report, there are over 140 million orphans globally. These children will continue to live outside of the love, safety, and protection of a forever family if intercountry adoptions continue to decline. It is up to the United States government to be a leader in setting the precedent that intercountry adoptions should be a viable option for children and families.
Jennifer Mellon
Jennifer Mellon has worked in the child welfare field for more than a decade, serving in varying capacities as the Executive Director and Chief Development Officer of Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS) and the Corporate Communications Program Manager for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI). Jennifer has served on the Board of the Campagna Center, which provides critical educational services to children and families in the DC Metro Area and on the Development Committee for the National Council for Adoption. She is the mom of three children and resides in Alexandria, Virginia.
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