Korean Adoption Article: updates & stats

 

South Korean Adoptions:  Canary in the International Adoption Mine?

 
by Dawn [Creating A Family blog] - September 13th, 2011  [EXCERPT]

 
Adoption, both domestic and international, is an option for very few children without parents in Korea. Koreans have a strong preference when adopting for young (95% are under 3 months), healthy (virtually all have no special needs), females (70%). International adoption is an option only for infants that are relinquished by their birth mothers to one of four adoption agencies in Korea (Holt International Children’s Services, Eastern Social Welfare Society, Korean Social Services, and Social Welfare Society). Government statistics show that of the 8,590 abandoned and relinquished babies and children in 2010, 1,462 were adopted domestically and 1,013 were adopted abroad. What happened to the remaining 6,115 babies and children? The sad truth is that most will spend their childhoods in one of the large child welfare institutions throughout Korea, aging out at 18 to a society deeply prejudiced against them with limited job and social opportunities.
 
According to the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, in 2005 there were 19,151 Korean children living in child welfare institutions. Ninety-five percent of these institutions housed more than 60 children, and one-fifth house over 120 children. An additional 10,198 children were in foster care. Children born to single mothers and children abandoned (presumably many born out of wedlock) make up the majority of children in these institutions.


New Korean Adoption Law 2011 
On June 29, 2011 the Korean National Assembly revised their adoption law once again. From my interviews and what has been reported, it appears that the new law is written in fairly general terms, with the details to be worked out during implementation. Starting in 2012:

•Birth mothers will have 7 days after relinquishment to change their minds.
•Adult adoptees will have the right to access their adoption records.
•More effort will be made to support single mothers and encourage them to parent their children rather than place them for adoption.
•Continued emphasis will be placed on increasing domestic adoptions.

Although there has been much discussion that this new law will completely phase out international adoptions in July 2012, I do not think that is specified in the law. In the past Korea has opted to continue international adoptions rather than place these children in child welfare institutions, and I believe they will do that again if domestic adoptions do not increase significantly.


Link to the complete article:  South Korean Adoptions: Canary in the International Adoption Mine?