Slide # 1

Why do we need to promote domestic adoptions?

Before we go on to discuss various strategies of how to build domestic adoptions, I would like for us to understand why we need to do it. If we understand this, it is easy to see the importance of it.

I came up with three reasons to promote domestic adoptions:

1. There are needy people: The planning commission of India estimates that there are approximately 5% to 8% of all married couples in India to be infertile. India census 2001 states that there are approximately 230 million married couples in India. If calculated, the number of infertile couples in India to be approximately about 11 to 18 million of them.

If a democratic society that has a group as large as 18 million with a homogeneous need, it is the responsibility of that society to address it.

2. It is the law: India has ratified and became a signatory to UN Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on 11th January 1993. Article 21(b) of UNCRC states the following:

“Recognize that inter-country adoption may be considered as an alternative means of child’s care, if the child cannot be placed in a foster or an adoptive family or cannot in any suitable manner be cared for in the child’s country of origin”.

Signatories of UN conventions are required to pass legislations in their countries to become compliant of the articles prescribed. It has been 14 years since and the efforts to promote domestic adoptions through legislative means are negligible.

3. CARA has mandate: If you visit CARA web site (http://www.cara.nic.in/), the first link is “About us” and the first statement on that link says this: “The Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) is an Autonomous Body under the Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India. Its mandate is to find a loving and caring family for every orphan/destitute/surrendered child in the country”

If you go little further down in that same web page, you’ll see this statement: “While CARA is engaged in clearing inter-country adoption of Indian children, its principal aim is to promote in-country adoption.”

As you can see, India has en ethical, legal and mandatory obligation to promote the domestic adoptions with in India. Neighbors such as South Korea (who is also signatory to UNCRC) has made some sweeping changes and domestic adoptions have surpassed the inter-country adoptions (from January to June of 2007) for first time in several decades. India should take a leaf out of their efforts to come up with appropriate measures to promote domestic adoptions within India.

What you can do: If you support domestic adoptions, I would like for you to cut and paste to send this following message to CARA at cara@bol.net.in
______________________________________________
To whom it may concern:

Respected Sir/ Madam,

I now understand that India has ethical, legal and mandatory obligations to promote domestic adoptions with in India. I am writing to suggest that CARA take appropriate measures.
__________________________________________________

Please do not forget to sign your message to CARA. Kindly help us by heling others to read this message. Forward it to your friends that they may support this effort.

Thank you for your support and more tomorrow.

RN