Why were there so many international adoptions in the past?

14 cantons want to work together better in the future to help adopted people find their biological parents. Because not everything always went smoothly. A look back.

Why were there so many international adoptions in the past?

As economic and social conditions improved in Switzerland – especially for single mothers – there were fewer children available for adoption. Some Swiss couples therefore looked for children abroad. From the 1960s onwards there was a wave of adoptions from Asian countries, later from South America and Africa and from 1989 from Eastern Europe.

Unwanted childlessness was not always the reason. Some Swiss couples also saw adoption as a "humanitarian act". For social or religious reasons, they wanted to free children from poverty and offer them a better life with educational opportunities.

There were different reasons for the "boom" in the countries of origin: South Korea, for example, "saved" the cost of setting up social welfare for single mothers and poor families and instead relied on large-scale adoptions abroad until the 1980s. In Sri Lanka, a business developed: lawyers, social workers, midwives, chauffeurs and hotels earned money from international adoptions.

Legend:Sarah Ramani Ineichen, President of the Back to the Roots Association, which supports adopted people from Sri Lanka in Switzerland and works to make amends for the injustice that has occurred.KEYSTONE/Ennio Leanza

And in India, pregnancy outside of marriage was a major stigma, especially when the mother and father belonged to different castes or religions. Pregnant women often only received help if they were willing to give their children up for adoption in return.

The adoptions did not always go smoothly. Often, the written consent of the biological parents was missing.

Why were there many irregular adoptions in Switzerland?

The stigma of unmarried motherhood in India and the stigma of childless marriage in Switzerland created a field of supply and demand in which money could be made. According to the study "Mother unknown. Adoptions from India in the cantons of Zurich and Thurgau, 1973–2002", a couple in Switzerland had to pay between 6,000 and 20,000 francs to arrange for a child from India. In Switzerland and other western industrialized countries, middle-class couples could afford this.

Swiss parents also increasingly had the financial means to travel to distant countries and locate a child themselves.

Abuses in adoptions: Cantons want better cooperation

03:01 min, from SRF 4 News from 09.01.2025

Image: Keystone-SDA

Networks also played a role: many adoptions in India were carried out through Catholic institutions such as the numerous Mother Teresa homes. In Switzerland, the Hague Convention, which was intended to prevent irregular adoptions and even child trafficking, came into force relatively late compared to other countries.

Legend:A statue of Mother Teresa in Chennai, India. The name of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner inspired trust among parents in Switzerland who wanted to adopt.AP Photo/Desikan Krishnan

Why has there been a continuous decline in international adoptions?

In 2003, Switzerland implemented the Hague Adoption Convention. This raised the hurdles for international adoptions: children may only be placed abroad if no adoptive parents can be found in their home country. Since then, international adoptions in Switzerland have declined sharply.

Legend:A policewoman brings a baby to safety in Sri Lanka. A Danish couple had attempted to take the child illegally in 2007.EPA/MAPUSHPA KUMARA

What is the situation today?

Today, the children of a partner are most commonly adopted, known as stepchild adoption. International adoptions, on the other hand, are very rare.

According to experts, the Hague Convention has curbed child trafficking, but it still occurs today. There is therefore debate about whether international adoptions should be completely avoided. Several organizations have called on the Federal Council to consider a moratorium. The Federal Council is expected to decide at the end of the month.