Intercountry adoption is a good option for children who cannot be cared for in their own country. This is what Femmie Juffer and Anneke Vinke write in a response to the recent report of the Council for the Application of Criminal Justice and Youth Protection.
A reaction to the report 'Reflection on intercountry adoption' of the Council for the Application of Criminal Justice and Youth Protection. By prof.dr. Femmie Juffer (endowed professor of Adoption Studies) and Dr. Anneke Vinke (chairman of the ADOC Knowledge Center for Adoption and Foster Care).
International scientific research convincingly shows that growing up in a children's home has long-term negative consequences for child development. This concerns all areas of development: the brain, physical growth, attachment, intelligence and school performance, and social-emotional functioning. Children are much better off in a family.
The Netherlands has signed the Hague Adoption Convention, which states that intercountry adoption is a last resort for children who would otherwise have to grow up in a children's home. It must be clear that a child cannot grow up in its own family or in a foster or adoptive family in its own country. Only then is intercountry adoption a responsible option for the child according to the Hague Adoption Convention.
Domestic adoption gets more space