Review of child adoption process sought to curb trafficking of infants

MANILA, Philippines — The alarming prevalence of “baby-for-sale” cases should prompt a

comprehensive review of the adoption process and anti-trafficking laws in the Philippines, detained

Sen. Leila de Lima said Wednesday.

“Assessments from experts point out that one of the problem areas that exacerbate the baby-for-sale

trade is the adoption system in the Philippines,” De Lima, chairperson of the Senate Committee on

Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development said in a statement.

De Lima further lamented that the current system remained to be “tedious, multilayered, and highly

bureaucratic, and even takes years to process.”

In February this year, the Simulated Birth Rectification Act simplifying the

adoption process in the country was signed into law.

The law allows the rectification of the simulated birth of a child if it was made for the best interest

of the child. It defines birth simulation as the “tampering of the civil registry to make it appear in

the record of birth that a child was born to a person who is not the child’s biological mother.”

Poverty and baby-trafficking

De Lima, who earlier filed Senate Resolution No. 224 to probe the illegal trade that is being done

through online and offline transactions, said poverty remains to be one of the main drivers in the

prevalence of such illegal activity.

Citing news reports, De Lima said a considerable number of infants are being sold both online and

offline, for as little as P300 only across Southeast Asia, including the Philippines.

In the Philippines, reports have revealed that babies are sold through online channels while offline

transactions reportedly take place outside public hospitals and in slum communities, said De Lima.

In filing the Resolution, De Lima said the government should urgently

address the issue as it may lead to more crimes, such as illicit human organ trade, sex trafficking, child pornography, and other abuses against children.