For the love of children – please read!
I just got an email from my sister passing this info on. Her friend has been in Nepal for more than about 5 months or so now waiting to be able to take her adopted son home.
For those of you not aware, the Nepalese government has put a suspension on out-of-country adoptions for the time being while they review and possible change their laws and legislation. The unfortunate part of this is that here are over 400 files still pending in their system. Most of these files have parents matched already to children sitting in orphanages. And a lot of these people have already met and bonded with their children. And many of these people are in Kathmandu waiting to be able to take their adopted child home.
My sister’s friend is one of those people waiting. She went over there not knowing that this would happen and now she is there still waiting. She is staying so she can be close to her adopted son and bond with him. But she had to quit her job here to be there indefinitely….and she is forced to be away from her husband who stayed behind here as one of them needs to be working. To give you an idea of how long she has been waiting….her son had 2 teeth when she went over…and now he has 5 teeth.
Poverty is a huge fact of life and state of affairs in Nepal. The orphanages are packed with more children being orphaned every day. A lot of children end up on the street due to these conditions. The government is not taking care of the children in this country yet they are suddenly trying to stop out of country adoption to people who want to help care for some of these children? Its all very strange.
If this breaks your heart as much as it does mine, please follow this link and sign the online petition to the Nepalese government to process the pending adoption files so that we can hopefully help expedite when these people can return home with their beloved adopted children. And hopefully this will help set a precedent and give hope for those children still living in orphanages.
(* note: there is an option for your name to appear as anonymous on the petition)
Comments
thanks FW! I am sure she appreciates your thoughts. My sister adopted twice from Korea and it took less than a year each time, from application to picking up the child. She was very lucky. In Nepal, these people have all gone through the process and its been a lot longer for them as a lot of them had their applications processed, done it all, paid everything, bonded with the child...but are unable to leave the country and go home with them. Its due to struggles within the Nepalese government.
Regardless of the reasons, it must be a very difficult time for the prospective parents involved. I hope it's resolved very quickly for their sakes and for the sakes of their adoptive children. And I hope whatever the resolution is that impoverished parents don't have to continue giving their children away to ensure they have a good life.
Thanks EvilWombatQueen! You explained it much better than I...and you found those articles that I was looking for.
The reasons for the changes being made to their laws are about preventing human traffiking, but a lot of the holdups and delays for the families waiting are has to do with political turmoil. They government is taking more time to get things squared away because its in political turmoil. Luckily it doesn't look like the Communists are going to get into power again because that could change everything to much worse.
Its a good thing they are changing the laws because its going to prevent human traffiking...but its the unfortunate good people who are caught in the process and turmoil that are the ones being really squeezed by this delay. I know from my sister's experience and some of her friends, that adopting is such an emotional experience and financial drain....but to go through this on top of it all, especially after having everything approved.....
Nepal has always been one of the most tricky places to adopt from because they are known to change things without notice and they have also had some strange laws....like when a single mother gives up her child, the father has 12 years to claim the child.
And I totally agree with you about poor parents who give or sell their children with the hope of a better life. It would be so much better if these families could stay together. Its the poverty that needs to be addressed so these things wouldn't happen in the first place. There are always going to be orphans but there is an overabundance in these places due to the extreme poverty.