26,000 couples, 2,400 kids: Lens on adoption process

NEW DELHI: Citing data shared by the ministry of women and child development that put the number of prospective adoptive parents waiting to adopt at around 26,000 whereas the children available in the pool at just about 2,400, a parliamentary panel has recommended that the adoption process in the country be simplified. They called for special focus on special children waiting to be adopted.

In its report tabled in Parliament on Wednesday, the 31 member parliamentary standing committee on education, women, children, youth and sports chaired by BJP member Vinay P Sahasrabuddhe has stressed upon the need for a close relook at the various regulations guiding the procedure of adoption.

According to the report, the WCD ministry at the time of deposition before the committee shared that the number of prospective adoptive parents registered was 26,000 but the number of children who were legally free for adoption was 2,400 and out of these 900 were children with special needs. It was also submitted that various steps have been taken to ease the mechanism of adoption including amendments in JJ Act to give the power to issue adoption order to district magistrates and also under Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act, 1956.

Adoption provides a win-win situation to the child as well as the new parents. The government should adopt a simple but rigorous process to promote this socially progressive trend.

The ministry submitted that Hindu adoption (under HAMA) which happens directly between relatives does not get to CARA (Central Adoption Resource Authority) and thus data regarding such adoptions is not available. CARA is a statutory body which functions as the nodal body for adoption of Indian children and is mandated to monitor and regulate in-country and inter-country adoptions.

In this backdrop the the committee has recommended that the process of adoption needs to be simplified by taking a close relook at the various regulations guiding the procedure of adoption and the ministry can engage with concerned experts working in this field to get feedback on the practical difficulties which prospective parents are facing.

The panel recommends that the issue of children with special needs requires special focus in terms of highlighting and advocacy at various platforms, besides regular sensitising of prospective parents for adoption of such children.

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