Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA), a nodal body of the Union Government in the matters related to rehabilitation of orphan, abandoned and relinquished children in the country has asked the State Governments to take immediate step to put a ban on illegal adoptions of the children. In a letter written to the Chief Ministers the States, Chairman of the CARA, Shri J.K. Mittal has said that it had come to the notice that large number of adoptions are taking place without following the due procedure especially through hospitals/nursing homes or agencies not recognized by the State Governments/CARA and such adoptions are outside the purview of the existing in-country Guidelines, 2004.
Citing the Supreme Court’s directives in the matter of adoption of children, CARA has said it is mandatory that all nursing homes and hospitals which come across abandoned and destitute children or find such children abandoned in their precincts or otherwise shall immediately give information in regard to the discovery or find of such children to the social welfare department of the concerned Government or the collector of the district for proper and legal rehabilitation of the children.
Shri Mittal has said while adoption is considered as the best alternative family rehabilitation for all orphan-abandoned/surrendered children, all children homes and Child Welfare Committees may be directed to make family preservation efforts, such as; restoration of children to natural parents/guardians, prevention of abandonment on the ground of poverty or gender issues through various measures such as sponsorship and foster care etc. before adoption could be considered as the best alternative for rehabilitation of such children.
Chairman of CARA, Shri J.K. Mittal has urged the State Government to initiate a time bound drive to recognize all unregistered agencies for in-country adoption as per the prescribed procedure so that adoptions could carried out legally and through recognized agencies. He has also asked the States to ensure that every child in these agencies is properly accounted for and list of those children which are declared free for adoption, are made available to the concerned State Adoption Cell and/or Adoption Coordinating Agency(ACA).
Underlining the importance of due care of children, Shri Mittal has said that all children regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, medical limitations or other conditions deserve permanent loving homes, but only about 3,500 legal adoptions take place in the country annually which is a very small figure in comparison to number of children available for adoption in the country. Therefore, Panchayats and local bodies should be involved to identify orphan and destitute children so that such children can be placed with loving and caring family.
NCJ/DT
(Release ID :27277)