Ethiopia Stops Foreign Adoptions

By Victor Omondi

Africa has been a destination continent for most foreigners not only for its beautiful scenery but also for its black children available for adoption. While other tourists visit Africa to have a nice time on the sandy beaches, some come to look for black children to absorb them into their families.

Unfortunately, this is no longer going to be allowed. Despite recording one of the highest numbers of adoptions within a decade, the government of Ethiopia is no longer going to allow foreigners to take in Ethiopian children. The ban has already been affected, and as we speak, no more adoptions by foreigners are taking place in Ethiopia.

While adoption has become popular across the globe, there are fears that it largely contributes to human trafficking. We’ve had cases of African children taken into some countries illegally by their foreign parents.

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For instance, in 2016, Denmark banned adoptions from Ethiopia, claiming a lack of data on the origins of children adopted from the country could facilitate trafficking. Some countries have also laid down stringent rules for the international adoption process to avoid cases of human trafficking in the country. As such, the number of international adoptions may decline in the coming years.

As of March 2019, the US had already suspended adoptions from Ethiopia, supporting the countries ban on foreign adoption. According to the Ethiopian government, it’s the state’s responsibility to take care of vulnerable children through the state’s children’s services. Even so, we aren’t quite sure if the arrangement is sustainable as there are already many vulnerable children in the country.

The US is one of the countries that has been affected by the ban on international adoption. Annually, the US-based adoption agencies process thousand of adoption requests, connecting vulnerable African children with their foreign parents. However, ever since the ban, the numbers have subsided, and a negative trend is expected in the coming years.

Source: Ethiopia Stops Foreign Adoptions