Telangana CWC drops 'bonding exercise' between kids & couples who bought them

HYDERABAD: Legal red flags have prompted a district child welfare committee in Telangana tasked with deciding the future of 15 "rescued" children to drop its plan to organise a bonding exercise between them and the adoptive parents they were separated from six months ago, based on a probe into a trafficking ring.

The Medchal Malkajgiri Child Welfare Committee has decided that the kids, between seven months and four years old, will remain in govt shelters till they are put up for legal adoption. They will undergo medical examination within a month before being made "free for legal adoption" in accordance with the guidelines of the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).

TOI reported on Dec 7 about legal and behavioural experts questioning the bonding exercise that could potentially give the children back to the couples who allegedly paid Rs 5-8 lakh each to child traffickers in Delhi and Pune.

Acknowledging that the proposed bonding exercise would have set a bad precedent, a representative of the Medchal Malkajgiri district child protection office said, "Once declared free for adoption, anyone seeking to adopt can do so under CARA's regulations. Prospective adoptive parents must meet specific age criteria, have a stable marital relationship if adopting as a couple, demonstrate financial stability, good health, and the ability to provide a nurturing environment. Also, parents do not get to choose the child."

State child welfare committee director Nirmala Kanthi said allowing the bonding exercise could have complicated future cases, effectively validating illegal adoptions. "These children deserve a secure, legal family environment. Efforts are being expedited to ensure they find safe and permanent homes through legal means."

The decision to scrap the bonding exercise has upset the families that had adopted the allegedly trafficked kids.