An eight-year ban on adoptions from India has been overturned by the Australian government. In the August 14th press release, the Government of India’s Ministry of Women and Child Development details the Australian decision to recommence adoptions from India as a response to programs initiated by India to protect against child trafficking.
As noted by United News of India, adoptions from India to Australia were halted indefinitely in 2000 due to charges of child trafficking being filed against many of India’s largest child placement agencies. Australia made the move to halt adoptions from India until the corruption could be addressed fully and corrected, a process that has taken a full eight years of reform.
India chose to reform the system by enacting new laws to protect children from traffickers and ensure ethical adoption practices. The Times of India credits the Juvenile Justice Act of 2015 and the 2017 notification of Adoption Regulations as direct factors in Australia’s decision to recommence adoptions from the country.
The Ministry of Women & Child Development and the Central Adoption Resource Authority have worked tirelessly throughout the years to remain in communication with Australia in order to correct the immense corruption of the past and ensure the protection of Indian children and their families.
The recommencement marks a victory for many families in Australia who have hoped the day would come where they could adopt from India. The Times of India noted that this is especially true for Australians of Indian descent who have dreamed of adopting a child from their country of origin. For more information about adoption from India, check out this page devoted to U.S adoptions from India.
