Fears of irregularities in thousands of adoptions
Published: Friday, Dec 8th 2023, 11:10
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There were probably several thousand cases of irregularities in international adoptions between 1970 and 2000. These are the findings of a report by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), which the Federal Council took note of on Friday.
The study examined adoptions from Bangladesh, Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, India, Colombia, Korea, Lebanon, Peru and Romania, as the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) wrote in a press release. According to the study, there were "indications of illegal practices, child trafficking, falsified documents and missing information on origin" in these countries of origin.
The Federal Council regrets that the authorities did not adequately fulfill their responsibility towards these children and their families. "These failures on the part of the authorities continue to shape the lives of the people adopted at the time to this day," it said.
The cantons are now responsible for supporting those affected in their search for origin. The Federal Council also commissioned a group of experts to present it with in-depth clarifications by the end of 2024.
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