Taiwan Today

The Garden of Hope Foundation called for the government Aug. 25 to consider the rights and interests of children and make revisions to the Children and Youth Welfare Act in order to give Taiwan residents priority in adopting local children. Chi Hui-jung, chief executive officer of the foundation, which promotes the welfare of disadvantaged girls, women and children, said the ratio of Taiwan children adopted by parents overseas to the total number of adoptions in the country rose from 19 percent in 2004 to nearly 25 percent last year. In other words, Chi continued, about one in every four Taiwan children who were adopted were sent abroad without any say in the matter. This situation is not fair to the children as many of them face problems related to cultural differences clash and even encounter discrimination after they grow up, she claimed. Chi pointed out that the 1993 Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption clearly stipulates that prospective adopters who reside in the same country as the child should be given preference over those who live abroad. The guideline is aimed at avoiding harm to children stemming from cross-cultural matters, she explained. According to Chi, countries with high ratios of adopted children sent abroad rigorously work to curtail overseas adoptions after becoming a signatory to the Hague Convention. She said that mainland China is a case in point following its signing of the convention in 2005. Ever since Beijing moved to reduce the number of children adopted by overseas parents that year, Chi claimed, more and more foreigners seeking to adopt have shifted their focus to Taiwan. In the past, Taiwan did not even rank in the top 20 on official U.S. adoption agency Web sites’ country lists. But from 2005, Taiwan jumped up the list to 13th spot, where it remains to this day, she noted. The dramatic rise in the ratio of overseas adoptions in Taiwan reflects the fact that the island’s adoption regulations are too lax, that the management mechanism is deficient and that service resources are insufficient, Chi stated. It also indicates the prevalence of mistaken notions of adoption in Taiwan, she said, pointing to the example that children with disabilities have a difficult time finding adoptive parents. An adoption system in such disarray provides an opportunity for human traffickers to exploit, the CEO added. Besides urging the government to revise related regulations and abide by the Hague Convention, the foundation also suggested that it establish an adoption services and management agency in order to prevent tragic situations such as the sale of babies for profit. (SB)