Hooge Mierdse Inez Teurlings: 'Abolition of adoption not necessary'

HOOGE MIERDE - Immediately stopping adoptions of foreign children is a major step that is not necessary. Adoption is and will remain valuable for many children. This is the response of Inez Teurlings, chairman of the Stichting Interlandelijk Geadopterden, to the most important recommendation of the Joustra Committee, which investigated the Dutch adoption practice.

Teurlings, born in Bangladesh and raised in Hooge Mierde, is aware of abuses that are mentioned in the report of the Joustra committee revealed by this newspaper on Friday. Child trafficking, child theft and forging adoption documents, for example.

But such cases mainly took place in the 1970s and 1980s, according to Teurlings. “Then hundreds of children were adopted every year. With such numbers I can imagine that something will go wrong. Nowadays it is still about 125 children per year. ”

Prove

Teurlings emphasizes that she has not yet read the report of the Joustra committee. “I am curious about the evidence of wrongdoing. From our contacts with permit holders who mediate in adoptions, I do not get the impression that much goes wrong. Parties I know are doing well with adoption. ”

It is evident that issues such as child trafficking must be tackled, says Teurlings. But she does wonder whether stopping or suspending adoptions isn't going too far. She also outlines the importance of children being adopted. She is happy with her own adoption.

Abuses

Teurlings thinks that abuses in adoptive countries often underlie things that go wrong with adoption. “In other countries the situation is often diffuse. The question is also whether things that went wrong in the Netherlands happened in bad faith. Sometimes something goes wrong when it was thought in the best interest of the child. If we want to stop or suspend adoption altogether, it must be based on good motivation. ”

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