Inter-country adoption becomes highly profitable business

NEW LIVES: Indian children adapt wellAdoption fulfils two of man's deepest needs - the craving for parenthood and a child's desire to belong.

Add to that the pressures of the 21st century and it is not surprising that Indian children are increasingly being adopted by the richest countries. Inter-country adoption, in fact, is a highly profitable business.

In the US and Denmark, the number of Indian children being adopted has grown in the past few years. In 1999-2000, the traffic to the US more than doubled and increased by a third to Denmark.

Since 1969, 15 per cent of adoptions by the Swedish agency Adoptions Centrum were from India. India follows Colombia and Philippines in the number of children being adopted by Norwegians since 1972.

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Modern lifestyle fosters this trend. With dual-career couples becoming the norm, the upwardly-mobile woman often does not have the time or inclination for pregnancy. Adoption is the perfect solution. It's a win-win situation for both sides. If poverty or social stigma drives mothers to abandon their child in India, an emotional void leads to them being embraced in the West.

India is a popular country to adopt from, concludes Ketil Lehland of the Norwegian agency Adopsjons forum. Also, she says, "Studies show that the children are well integrated and much loved." Protecting this precious bond from exploitation is the need of the hour.

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