India's Adoption System: Bridging the Gap Between Waiting Parents and Children in Need
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: Social Issues (Children's Issues, Adoption), Governance (Central Adoption Resource Authority - CARA, Child Welfare Committee - CWC), Polity (Laws related to children - Juvenile Justice Act).
Mains:
GS Paper 1: Social empowerment; Population and associated issues.
GS Paper 2: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population and the performance of these schemes; Mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of vulnerable sections (children).
Key Highlights from the News
In India, the data that for every child legally available for adoption, 13 parents are waiting, exposes a major problem in the country's adoption system.
Experts say that the delay is not due to strict adoption procedures, but due to the low number of children legally free for adoption.
It is suggested that the status of children in all child protection institutions (child shelters), not just adoption agencies, should be evaluated and eligible children should be brought into the adoption process.
The district-level Child Welfare Committee (CWC) has the authority to declare a child legally free for adoption.
Many children referred to as 'orphans' in India have families or relatives. Abandoned children and those relinquished by unmarried mothers are the primary ones entering the adoption system.
Most prospective adoptive parents prefer healthy young babies. This reduces the adoption of older children and children with special needs.
Strict procedures are needed to prevent child trafficking. The fundamental principle should be "finding a family for a child, not a child for a family."
There are shortcomings in India in providing adequate training and counseling to adoptive parents, especially those adopting children with special needs.
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