PUNE: Maharashtra clinched the pole position in India with 849 inter-country and domestic adoptions in the last financial year - accounting for nearly 20% of the total count and a 38% surge from the state's previous fiscal's tally of 522.
 

Across India, 4,515 children found families - the highest number in over a decade - while over 36,000 prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) are on the waiting list at present, hoping to adopt one of just 2,749 children legally available, according to data from Central Adoption Resource Authority (Cara). Of these, 1,808 are categorised as special-needs children.

Of the 4,515 adoptions, 4,155 children found families within the country while 360 were international/inter-country adoptions. Maharashtra, where the domestic adoption count was 790, was followed by Tamil Nadu (438) and West Bengal (297). In international adoptions, Maharashtra led with a tally of 59, followed by Punjab (41) and Bengal (31).

The average waiting time for PAPs is three-and-a-half years. Most PAPs seek girls and those aged 0-2 years, leaving older children and those with special needs under-placed. As many as 2,554 children adopted in FY 2024-25 were girls, accounting for 56% of all adoptions in India.
 

"One reason is, more girls are given up than boys, making them available for adoption," said Vinita Bhargava, formerly with Cara as its founder member.

A senior women and child development (WCD) dept official said, "Some parents believe girls are more caring and affectionate, and are more likely to look after their parents in old age. Some feel girls adapt more easily to family life. Social awareness and single women often preferring to adopt girls are other reasons."

Many PAPs believe it is easier to build emotional connections with infants and younger children. The official said, "For some, adopting younger children provides greater scope to shape their values, personality and upbringing. Others want to experience the entire parenting journey - from infancy to adulthood."
 

Wait for adoption longest for special needs children: Data

New Delhi, Nearly two-thirds of children waiting for adoption in India are those with special needs, even as the overall adoption numbers have seen a record rise over the years, government data shows.

According to the Union Women and Child Development Ministry's latest annual report accessed by PTI, 3,684 children were declared legally free for adoption in 2024 and 2,177 were available for placement through the Central Adoption Resource Authority “. Of the 2,177 children, 1,423 or 65 per cent were those with special needs.

Despite sustained efforts and awareness campaigns to encourage adoption of children with special needs, official records accessed by PTI through an RTI query show that the numbers remain much lower.

Special needs adoptions peaked at 401 in 2018-19, plunged to 166 the following year, and the number has since remained between 300 and “370 annually.

When Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize she said,"With this money I will build homes for the poor because it is in the home that love begins ". Perhaps, for most of us who surf the net, having a home is something we take for granted. It is impossible for us to imagine what life is like for children who do not have homes, or families, or anyone in the world to love or look after them.

A home can only be a dream for children who, as a result of wars or disasters, lose everything in life including their family.

It may surprise you to know, as you read this, that every 30 seconds a child, somewhere, is being orphaned as a result of war or disaster and will face a life without hope, having to survive by begging, crime, prostitution and violence.

"So what?" You might ask. "There is nothing I can do about it." But if you could, would you?

If we make it really easy for you to give a dream home to children such as these to give them real hope for the future, will you?

• Employee, intern for a public service. Father of two children. What else? Lawyer, field hockey player (I try), likes to walk (but not more than 30 km in a day) etc etc
• BRUSSELS

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•  -  Tervuren1977 - 1981

Lumos Moldova, in partnership with UNICEF and the Government of Norway, proudly announces the inauguration of the first Early Intervention Centre integrated within a public medical institution in Chișinău – the Territorial Medical Association Centru (AMT Centru).

This milestone ensures free, specialised early intervention services for children aged 0–5 with developmental disorders or disabilities in Chișinău. The centre, established through the UNICEF project ‘Creating and Developing Early Intervention Services for Children with Developmental Disorders and Disabilities,’ represents a $100,000 investment from the Government of Norway. It offers critical early assessments and personalised support during a child’s formative years, significantly enhancing recovery and development outcomes. Parents also benefit from counselling and a supportive, family-friendly environment to address early signs of developmental challenges.

Mihai-Constantin Petcu, 40 (L) and Marian Barbu, 33 (R) both claim they were sexually trafficked in Romania. | United States District Court Central District of California

Three men have filed federal lawsuits claiming they were sexually abused and trafficked by a former Harvest Christian Fellowship pastor, Paul Havsgaard, while living in the now-defunct church-run children’s homes in Romania. The filings also accuse the church's founder, Greg Laurie, and missions pastor Richard Schutte of negligence in failing to prevent the abuse and covering it up for 20 years. 

The lawsuits were filed Tuesday and Thursday in the United States District Court for the Central District of California by Marian Barbu, 33, Mihai-Constantin Petcu, 40, and Cristian Aeroaiei, 36.

A Harvest Christian Fellowship spokesperson told The Christian Post in response to the lawsuits that the allegations are "serious and disturbing," but denied that the church knowingly covered up the alleged sexual abuse. The spokesperson said that since being contacted by the representatives of the alleged victims, Harvest Riverside has reported the case to law enforcement and plans to cooperate with authorities in the investigation. Harvest also sees the lawsuits as a "form of financial extortion" and expects to "vigorously defend against these claims" in the courts of law.  

The lawsuits, filed by attorney Jan Cervenka of McAllister Olivarius, allege in stark detail how Havsgaard recruited the plaintiffs as children off the streets of Bucharest with McDonald’s meals and the promise of shelter in a Harvest Home where they would be fed, clothed and educated. Other survivors interviewed as part of the lawsuits claim Havsgaard even dangled the idea of them escaping Romania through adoption by American families.

Instead of receiving hope, these men allege Havsgaard left them with a lifetime of trauma. Other survivors report developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, depression, drug addiction and being functionally illiterate.  

By 'Alakihihifo Vailala, PMN

The law change will immediately and temporarily suspend the recognition of international adoptions under section 17 of the Adoption Act 1955 (the Act) by New Zealand citizens and residents for citizenship and immigration purposes. Photo: 123RF

The New Zealand government is pausing the recognition of some international adoptions, primarily affecting Samoa, due to concerns over child abuse in cases involving adoptions from overseas.

Associate Justice Minister Nicole McKee says efforts are underway with Samoan authorities to address the issues surrounding international adoptions. But she says that until adequate safeguards are established, adoptions will remain on hold.

South Korea on Wednesday launched a committee to oversee domestic adoption policy, as well as individual adoption cases, in accordance with new legislation.

The 15-member adoption policy committee, chaired by Health and Welfare Minister Jeong Eun-kyeong, includes experts on adoption, medicine and law as well as academics.

It will review adoption policy plans, set standards for pre-adoption parental training and rule on the suitability of prospective parent-child pairings.

Two eight-member subcommittees will separately handle domestic and international adoption cases, with their rulings carrying the weight of the main committee.

At its first meeting, the panel discussed operating guidelines and the implementation of the new public adoption system, which transfers oversight of the process from private agencies to local governments and the state.

Jeong said the committee would be the “driving force” behind a transparent public adoption system focused on the best interests of children.

The Government is moving with urgency to suspend recognition of unsafe international adoptions to protect children and young people from harm, Associate Justice Minister, Nicole McKee says.

The Adoption Amendment Bill has been introduced to the House today to immediately and temporarily suspend New Zealand’s recognition of unsafe overseas adoptions for citizenship and immigration purposes.

“There is evidence that our international adoption laws do not provide sufficient safeguards for children and young people. Adoptions that take place in overseas courts do not always access or require an adoptive parent’s criminal or child protection record,” Mrs McKee says.

Child welfare has resurfaced as a rallying cry in Korea, particularly after a series of heartbreaking cases of abandonment and infanticide. This renewed attention reflects domestic concerns as well as a global shift in how adoption and child protection are understood. The 1993 Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption embodied this change, shifting focus from the interests of prospective parents toward the rights of children. Ratified by more than 100 countries and set to take effect in Korea this October, the convention reframes adoption as child-centered, emboldening many adoptees to organize and press for recognition of their lived experiences.

While adoptees have gained a stronger voice, unwed mothers — the primary source of children placed for adoption — remain marginalized. Society views unwed motherhood as an individual failing that signifies moral inferiority, even as intercountry adoption was shaped by broader structural forces.

It began in the devastation of the 1950-53 Korean War, with tens of thousands of children orphaned and dependent on foreign relief. Stigmatized in a society that prized ethnic homogeneity, mixed-race children born to Korean women and foreign servicemen fueled intercountry adoption. Declining birthrates and concerns reflecting existing racial hierarchies in the United States further heightened demand for Korean children.

The 1997 Asian financial crisis undermined government efforts to curb intercountry adoption by producing new waves of poverty and family dissolution. In its aftermath, the government embraced a market-oriented welfare model characterized by deregulation. Above all, powerful, profit-driven adoption agencies — shielded by lax oversight — perpetuated the system. In this context, lacking both institutional support and societal acceptance, unwed mothers were often left with adoption as their sole recourse, a constrained choice that nevertheless exposed them to further stigma.