In Goa, plenty of potential parents, no kids for adoption

PANAJI: With a low fertility rate of 1.76 children born per woman, an increasing number of Goan couples are looking at adoption. While this seems

like a win-win situation in most other states, the scenario in Goa is not optimal for adoption.

In Goa, Caritas in Panaji, and Matruchaya in Ponda, are the only qualified agencies to give children up for adoption under the Central Adoption

Resource Authority (CARA) guidelines. While Matruchaya puts up five or less children for adoption annually, Caritas says they have roughly a dozen

children looking for a new home every year. These numbers are not enough to meet the adoption needs of the state.

Dilip Desai, treasurer at Matruchaya, says all infants in their custody, from unwed mothers giving up their children or newborns who are given away,

are placed for adoption after all the formalities are completed. “We place about three or four infants that are given in our custody in a year,” he says.

The adoption process in Goa comes with its own set of hiccups.

Firstly, there is no guarantee a couple will be able to adopt a child of their choice. Secondly, Desai says the waiting period has lengthened. Once a

couple’s papers are filed with CARA, there is a substantial period before they finally take home a child. What used to be a few months’ wait, now takes

nothing less than a year, specifically after the CARA guidelines came into force two years ago. The waiting period has less to do with the elaborate

process and more to do with the long list of couples wanting to adopt.

Under CARA, applicants must place their requests online, and after scrutiny by the authority, the applicant will able to adopt. There is a limited role for

the adoption agency.

Desai points out that the potential parent can meet the child only once, which may not be sufficient time for them to get to know each other well. “A

child should feel at home with the people who want to adopt,” he says, adding that the only solace is if the agency feels it is not a right fit, it has the

right to say no

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