Domestic adoptions in china

http://research-china.blogspot.com/2006/01/domestic-adoption-in-chinas-orphanages.html

Adoption in Australia

Australia Adoption Statistics
2005/06 There were 576 austrlaia adoption, 2% decrease from 2005/05
73% intercounty
16% Known adoptions
10% Local

76% of all adoption the children were aged <5years and 55% were female.

Highest rate of adoption were in ACT, NT, TAS
NSW, Queensland adn Victoria are the biggest stated but had the lowest rates per 100, 000 population.

Intercountry Adoption
The numbers on international adoptions have triples in last 25 years
127 in 1980-81 to
421 in 2005-06
representing 73% of all adoptions
2005/6 saw a 3% decline since the previous 12 months this is thought to be due to a 17% decrease in China adoptions.

China
There were 110 China adoptions with 25 going to Victoria families.

Adoptive Families
The Average age of adoptive families in >35years and older with 2/3rd being >40.
95% are married and 52% of adotpive families have no other children

want more info?
Check out http://www.aihw.gov.au/publications/cws/aa05-06/aa05-06.pdf

China Adoption Program

Intercountry adoptions started in the People Republic of China (PRC) in around 1988. The USA immigration records show that 12 adoption of children from China occured that year. Historically adoption has been somewhat of a taboo subject in China, and subsequently the fist Chinese Adoption Legislation was passed only in April 1992. Since then the intercountry adoption program has grown considerably. During the fiscal year of 2005, the US department of state reported that 7906 America Immigration Visa's were processed for orphaned children being adopted by America Families. In Australia, during the 2004/2005 finical year, a record of 434 intercountry adoptions occurred, including the adoption of the 140 children from China.

The one child poly has a direct influence on the numbers of children abandoned in the PRC. The policy varies from province to province. However, it is reasonable to say that in the major cities it is strcilty observed. In some provinces families are allowed two children and in others families may have girls until the first son is born. This results combined with a cultural preference to have a son and to maintain bloodlines means that many children are abandoned at birth-mainly girls or children with a disability. Children born out of wedlock or from parents with social/ and or mental health issues are also likely to be placed fro adoption.

There are various figures given out of the number in institutions in the PRC. The China Centre for Adoptipn Affairs (CCAA) indicate that the majority (90%) of children in children's welfare institutions have a disability and are not placed for adoption. Many families in the PRC pay for their disabled children to be cared for by the children's welfare institutions.

Some domestic adoptions are done in the PRC. Recent changes to Chinese adoption law make it easier for domestic adoptions to occur. The CCAA believe number of domestic adoptions will increase in the future. It is difficult to establish reliable statistics for domestic adoption in China, however various sources state that domestic adtopion levels are currently equal to Intercountry Adoption levels, and that the PRC aim toward undertaking 8 domestic adoption to each international adoption.

The PRC is sensitive about public criticism of their management of children's welfare institutions. The screening of a 60 minutes program in 1995 and a report on the Shanghai Children Welfare institutions being closed to foreigners. Conditions in orphanges are reported to have improved significantly over the past decade, although the standard of care across welfare institutions varies quiet badly in line with regional wealth and poverty.

According to Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) nations wide:
2000 to 20001 there were 15 children adopted from China (1 male and 14 females)
2001 to 2002 there were 39
2002 to 2003 there were 46 children
2003/2004 there were 112 children adopted from China.
2004/2005 There were 110

There have been a small number of boys placed with Australia Adoptive Parent, but the majority of children requiring adoption are girls. In 2006 CCAA advised that they have very limited need for placements for health children ageed 2-6years. Currently CCAA will only consider adoption applicants approved to provide homes for health childre aged 2 years and under,older children (+6, and special needs children.

For Australia Statistics oand Information on Intercountry adoption log onto the Australia Insitute of Health and Welfare website : http://www.aihw.gov.au/

Intercountry Adoption

The concept of intercountry adoption has it's origin in the aftermath of World Wars, but particular after World War II, when the disruption of families in war-torn countries resulted in large number of abandoned and ophaned children. Children from Germany, Greece and the Baltic States were sent by religious organisations for adoption in other European countries and in the USA.

From 1953 large numbers of orphaned or abandoned children from the Korean war were adopted overseas. In Australia, however, intercountry adoption is a realtively recent practice; prior to 1975 there were few intercountry adoptions. It only became a recognised avenue of adoption following the airlift in 1975 of Vietnamese war orphans. Since then adoption of children from Aisa and Latin America has become well established in Australia.

Intercountry adoption has endured as a response to the needs of children orphaned abandoned or reliquished because of military confilict, poverty and political policy, and stigmas attached to illegitimacy, disablement and mixed race.

Since the 1970''s momentum has overtaken the orginial impetus for intercountry adoption. Econimic, demographic, cultural and political changes in Australia in the past thirty years have resulted in fewer unwanted births and less pressure to reliquish ex-nuptual children for adoption. Additionally, social changes have lead to many people waiting later in life to begin establishing their family, and consequently, infertility is increasing and being discovered at a later age.

The two-fold effect of these factors is a marked decrease in the number of Australian born children for adoption and a significant increase in the number of people wanting to adopt. As a result, increasing numbers of couples and indivduial have turned to intercountry adoption to begin a family or extend their families.

It can be seen, that intercountry adoption is a shifting, evloving phenomenon, responding to both domestic and interenational forces.

Intercountry adoption is a sensitive complex area of adoption. It involves all the issues relating to domestic adoptions as well as a range of other issues. More over, it involves Australian imigration law and policy, the laws and policies of the overseas countries and obligations under international conventions.

Because the children are bing placed internationally and almost always interacially, issues relating to cultural heritage arise. Many of the childrem including babies, are likely to be physically and/or emotionally vulnerable because of early physical and/or emotional deprivation. Some children have "special neds" because they are older and /or have disabilities.

Itercountry adoption has frequently been been associated with intense contravery. At one end of the spectrum , there is a view that it is a form of exploitation of Third Wolrd countries by First Wolrd countries and should be discontinued. It can be argued that intercountry adoption does not provide a solution to the domestic issues leading to adoption and this situation benefits first world countries where there is a high demand for babies. The other end of the spectrun, there is a view that intercountry adoption is a humanitarin act, toward both individual children and the sending countries, and is this a form of oveseas aid; that in first world countries there are high numbers of people wanting to adopt children and it we shound encounraged to develop and expand. There are numerous intermediate positions.


RT hanks to: www.community.wa.gov.au/.../0/DCPGUIAdoptioninformationguide_china_sept2007.pdf