Adoptions from India: Thurgauer GLP demands more information

The Thurgau GLP has asked the government council for more information on adoptions of Indian children between 1973 and 2002. In a motion, the party is asking, among other things, what support the canton offers those affected.

The background to the GLP's request is a recently presented study on illegal adoptions in the cantons of Thurgau and Zurich. The study on the practice of adoptions from India revealed serious misconduct, as the GLP Thurgau wrote in a statement on the submitted request. Adoptions have also become a business model.

Adoptions approved despite missing documents

Despite missing or incomplete documents, Thurgau authorities approved adoptions, the GLP continued. "This means that the canton shares responsibility."

The GLP therefore wants to know, among other things, how the government is dealing with "its own responsibility". The question of support for those affected is also being raised. "The government council must take responsibility and take concrete measures to make amends," GLP cantonal president and cantonal councillor Stefan Leuthold was quoted as saying in the statement.

30 adoptions in Thurgau

A study by a three-person research team, presented last week, revealed serious deficiencies in previous adoption practices. According to the study, Swiss authorities were aware of numerous cases of problematic and even illegal adoptions from India and supported them.

Specifically, Swiss couples adopted 2,278 children from India during the study period. 256 adoptions occurred in the canton of Zurich and 30 in the canton of Thurgau. According to the researchers, there were "authority failures and systematic violations of the law" in these two cantons.