States asked to take steps to ban illegal adoption of children

New Delhi, Apr 29 (UNI) The Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), the nodal agency of the Union Government, has asked the State Governments to take immediate steps to ban illegal adoption of orphaned or abandoned children.

In a letter to Chief Ministers, CARA Chairman J K Mittal said that there were instances of large number of adoptions taking place without following due procedure especially through hospitals/nursing homes and unrecognised agencies. Reminding them that it was mandatory for all hospitals and other institutions to immediately provide the information about the discovery of such children to Social Welfare Depaertment of the concerned Government, he said that the state agencies should make all efforts to restore such children to natural parents/guardians, before adoption could be considered, as the best alternative for rehabilitating such children. There were only 3,500 legal adoptions taking place in teh country, which was too small a figure in comparison to nmber of children available for adoption, he remarked.

He said that the it was time to initiate a time-bound drive to recognise all unregistered agencies in the country for adoption as per the prescribed norms so that the adoptinos could be carried legally and the list provided to the concerned Adoption Cell/Coordination Agency.

UNI