In Wake of Engeline’s Death, KPAI Proposes Ban on Foreign Adoption
n Wake of Engeline’s Death, KPAI Proposes Ban on Foreign Adoption
By Noviani Setuningsih Jun 30, 2015
Tags: Angeline, child adoption, Indonesian Commission for Child Protection (KPAI)
There have been numerous calls for a review of Indonesia’s child protection laws in the wake of Engeline’s murder. (Antara Photo)
Jakarta. Indonesia’s child protection body has proposed a moratorium on adoption by foreigners following the gruesome murder of an 8-year-old girl in Bali.
Engeline, who was adopted by an Indonesian woman and her American partner, was found dead and buried in the backyard of her foster mother’s home in Denpasar, Bali on June 8.
A former domestic worker for the family, Agus, 25, confessed to sexually assaulting the 8-year-old before killing her and disposing of her body, but the little girl’s Indonesian stepmother, Margaret Christine Megawe, has also been named a suspect in her murder.
On Tuesday, Asrorun Niam Soleh, chairman of the Commission of Children Protection (KPAI), added his voice to those calling for an overhaul of child protection laws in Indonesia.
He said adoption should be made the last option — “especially adoption by foreigners.”
Indonesia allows adoption under very strict conditions, Asrorun said. The identity of the child’s biological parents cannot be erased and foster parents must be of the same religion as the child.
Asrorun said the Indonesian constitution stipulated that poor people and abandoned children were the state’s responsibility.
He said, therefore, allowing adoption by foreigner would “hurt the country’s dignity.”
“Adoption should be done for the child’s interest, not the parent’s, but the truth has deviated from that,” Asrorun said.
“Adoption is often associated with poverty and it could lead to child trafficking.”
Asrorun said Indonesia must strengthen the Ministry of Children Protection and Women’s Empowerment to ensure children’s welfare.
There have been numerous calls for a review of Indonesia’s child protection laws in the wake of Engeline’s murder.
Engeline was adopted when she was a baby because her biological parents could not afford to pay the hospital for her birth.
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