Breaking away from Boundaries – Inter-Country Adoption

A child completely transforms a family. This is all the more remarkable when a couple chooses to adopt a child, either because they cannot have one of their own, or because they choose to share the joy of living as a family with a child who does not have one of her own.

While prejudices against adoption per se are slowly giving way to a growing acceptance, inter-racial and inter-country adoption is still something couples in India are hesitant to try out. On the contrary, westerners have been making place for Asian and African children in their homes for many years now. Confident that an environment filled with love and care can overcome all obstacles one finds hundreds of cases of westerners adopting children from India, the Far East and Africa. Many even volunteer to adopt children with disabilities, as they have few takers and are often left in orphanages and foster homes to live out most of their growing years.

While adoption within one’s own racial group undoubtedly makes the process of adjustment easier, children in India face the problem of not having enough families willing to take them in. With the extended family playing a significant role in the success of any adoption, many couples try to adopt within the family, either a child of a sibling or someone known to them. This way, they hope that at least the foster grandparents will be more accepting of their adopted child.

But there are more children landing up in orphanages across India than there are families that want to take them in. Female infanticide often gives way to deserting a baby near a temple or a hospital, hoping that someone will take care of it. Unmarried mothers, too, often leave their babies outside orphanages, unable to meet the demands of making two ends meet with a baby in tow. From all corners of our teeming country, there are these abandoned little lives looking for someone to love and care for them.

Westerners looking at adopting an Indian child do need to consider the fact that it will be quite visibly obvious to everyone they know that their child is adopted. Most counsellers suggest that adoptive parents tell their child early on where he or she is from. A trip to the country of the child’s origin too tends to give the child a sense of where they are from. Then on, given a loving family, it is unlikely that the child will suffer a sense of anxiety. Openness is the key to a well-settled adopted child.