Lawmakers Demand Answers Over 34,000 Children Lost in Spanish Adoptions

Lawmakers have launched a sharp inquiry into the Foreign Ministry’s failure to track roughly 34,000 children sent to Spain for adoption decades ago, criticising what they called a systemic breach of the state’s duty of care. MPs raised the issue during the sixth regular session of the House of Peoples’ Representatives.

The children, mostly from the Benishangul-Gumuz region, were sent in 2011/12  through a now-defunct organisation, Ethio Decha, under a government-coordinated adoption programme.

Foreign Minister Gedion Timotheos acknowledged the ministry has no records or current information regarding the children’s status, location, or welfare. He attributed the lapse to the country’s limited diplomatic presence in Europe, which hindered effective monitoring.

"We possess no records or current information at our office concerning the children sent to Spain," he told lawmakers, adding that a belated effort to gather details through Ethiopian embassies in neighbouring countries has yielded little due to substantial obstacles.

Lawmakers rejected the explanation as insufficient, emphasising that the state retains a binding obligation under international norms and ethical principles to oversee children sent abroad for adoption until they reach adulthood.

MP Merahite Imaren warned that years of official silence have fuelled speculation and stigmatized the Benishangul-Gumuz community. "The information gap is alarming. It violates the fundamental right of these children to dignity and safety," Merahite said.

Parliamentarians highlighted the absence of a formal tracking mechanism as a broader reflection of the ministry’s failure to protect citizens abroad. They have mandated the Foreign Ministry to produce a comprehensive report on the children’s current circumstances.

Lawmakers drew parallels with the challenges faced by migrant workers in the Middle East, who, despite travelling under state-facilitated agreements, face security risks, exploitation, and unfulfilled government assurances.

They also pointed to the rapid expansion of illegal human trafficking networks and insufficient oversight of labour recruitment agencies, signalling systemic gaps in safeguarding citizens beyond national borders.

The inquiry increases pressure on the Foreign Ministry to move from acknowledgment of past failures to concrete action more than a decade after the children were sent abroad under state coordination.