Everychild

EveryChild echoes warning of ‘Madonna effect’

EveryChild, welcomes the findings of a new report which highlights the dangers of international adoption, fuelled by the so-called ‘Madonna-effect’.

EveryChild, echoes the recommendations of psychologist Professor Browne that fostering, adoption and care within a child’s country of origin is the best option for children whose parents are unable to look after them – but warned that international adoption should always be a last resort. All efforts for a child to stay with their natural family should be exhausted before options outside the family are even considered.

“Children undoubtedly should be raised in their country of origin, within a family unit wherever possible,” Chris Rayment, EveryChild’s Programme Manager for Eastern Europe and Former Soviet Union said in reference to a report which looks at the relationship of institutional care and international adoption in Europe.

“Like Professor Browne’s research, EveryChild’s Family Matters report, published in 2005, found that 95% of the 1.3 million children in institutions across the region were not actually ‘orphans’, but have at least one living parent,” said Mr Rayment

“The findings that parents in poor countries are giving their children up to institutional care because they believe a wealthy western family may give their child a better life should make westerners considering international adoption think twice. For every one adopted many more children will be left behind in these damaging in institutions,” he said.

“Governments in these countries need to give families a basic level of state support which could allow children to stay with their natural families, or be adopted or fostered by families native to their homeland,” he said.

Mr Rayment also added: “Often intercountry adoption is driven by the demands of the adopters, not by the needs and rights of the child – this is the wrong way around. The rights of the individual child should be paramount, and often this will be to stay with their natural families in their native country,” he said.

“To prioritise the rights of the child governments in these countries need to look at preventing family break-up in the first place, as they are starting to do in Ukraine and Georgia. This will eventually cease the flow of children into these institutions and hopefully drive down the supply for international adoption,” he said.

The relationship between institutional care and the international adoption of children in Europe was produced by the University of Liverpool’s school of Psychology

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EveryChild echoes warning of ‘Madonna effect’