In Hungary and Bulgaria, disabled children and Roma often end up on lists for foreign adoption. Nevertheless, Flanders continues the adoptions from Eastern Europe.
On November 27, 2023, prospective adoptive parents throughout Flanders will be glued to their computer screens, waiting for a message from the Flemish Center for Adoption (VCA). The final decision will be made that day: can they continue their procedure? Due to reports of malpractice and fraud, the Flemish government decided to examine all its collaborations with the so-called sending countries.
We often associate intercountry adoption with Africa and Asia, but there are also European countries on that list of countries. In a joint study with the Dutch platform Investico, the TV program Zembla , the Hungarian medium Atlaszo and the Bulgarian newspaper 24 Chasa, Knack examined adoptions from Bulgaria and Hungary - the latter has become the second largest sending country to Flanders. , after Thailand. This shows dire situations with Roma children.
Discrimination
Everything revolves around children from Hungary and Bulgaria who were given up for adoption in the past ten years. Eighteen of them ended up in Flanders. The golden rule for adoptions is the principle of subsidiarity: if an adoption is in the best interests of the child, a new home must first be looked for at home, abroad is only the very last option. This is also the rule in Hungary and Bulgaria. There are plenty of candidates in both countries: there are more prospective parents on the waiting lists than children. However, the profile of those children does not necessarily match the preferences of the domestic parents. They prefer healthy, young children from the Bulgarian and Hungarian majority. Roma children, children with disabilities and older children end up on a list for adoption abroad.