CARA asks states to check illegal adoption of children

New Delhi, Apr 30 (UNI) The Central Adoption Resource Agency, which is a nodal body dealing with matters related to rehabilitation of orphan, abandoned and relinquished children, has directed state Governments to take immediate measure to ban illegal adoptions of children.

In a letter written to the state Chief Ministers, CARA Chairman J K Mittal said it had come to notice that a large number of adoptions are taking place without following the due procedure especially through hospitals/nursing homes or agencies not recognised by the State Governments/CARA and such adoptions are outside the purview of the existing in-country Guidelines, 2004.

Citing the Supreme Court's directives in the matter of adoption of children, CARA Chairman said it is mandatory that all nursing homes and hospitals, which come across or find abandoned and destitute children, should immediately give information regarding them to the social welfare department of the concerned Government or the District Collector for their proper and legal rehabilitation.

While adoption is considered as the best alternative family rehabilitation for all orphan-abandoned/ surrendered children, all children homes and Child Welfare Committees should be directed to make family preservation efforts, Mr Mittal said.

This could be done by restoration of children to natural parents/guardians, prevention of abandonment on the ground of poverty or gender issues through various measures such as sponsorship, foster care and others before adoption could be considered as the best alternative for rehabilitation of such children, he added.

The CARA Chairman urged the State Governments to initiate a time bound drive to recognise all unregistered agencies for in-country adoption as per the prescribed procedure so that adoptions could be carried out legally and through recognised agencies.

He also asked the States to ensure that every child in these agencies was properly accounted for and list of those children which are declared free for adoption, was made available to the concerned State Adoption Cell and/or Adoption Coordinating Agency(ACA).

Underlining the importance of due care of children, Mr Mittal said all children, regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, medical limitations or other conditions, deserve permanent loving homes, but only about 3,500 legal adoptions take place in the country annually which is a very small figure in comparison to number of children available for adoption in the country. Therefore, Panchayats and local bodies should be involved in the identification of orphan and destitute children so that such children can be placed with loving and caring family.

UNI