Norway recommends stopping all adoptions from abroad – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio

The recommendation has been sent to the Ministry of Children and Families. This is what Bufdir writes in a press release. Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp) asks Bufdir for an investigation before she takes a position on the council’s decision to stop all adoptions from abroad. Here are the reasons from Bufdir: The risk of illegal adoptions is real. A check of adoption cases to Norway shows insufficient documentation in many cases. They are questioned as to whether international adoptions have to a large extent been based on trust, both between partner countries and between adoption authorities and adoption organisations. – A temporary halt in all foreign adoptions will be drastic. Therefore, it is important that a thorough assessment is made of the basis for a possible shutdown, alternative measures and what kind of consequences a possible shutdown will have, says Toppe to VG. Bufdir has only made a recommendation. It is up to the Ministry of Children and Families to decide whether they should follow the recommendation or not. Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp) wants more information before she orders a halt to all foreign adoptions. Photo: Tom Balgaard/news Denmark also stops Danish International Adoption (DIA), which is the only organization in Denmark that mediates international adoptions, stops mediating adoptions from abroad to Denmark. This is what the organization writes in a press release. It concerns the Philippines, India, Taiwan, Thailand and the Czech Republic. Earlier on Tuesday it became known that adoptions to Norway from the Philippines, Thailand and Taiwan will be stopped, VG reports. Ongoing adoption cases with children from these countries will therefore be stopped. This is confirmed by the Directorate for Children, Youth and Families (Bufdir) to the newspaper. – This also means that cases in process must be closed. Families who have progressed so far in the adoption process that they have been allocated a child can complete the adoption process, but then only after special assessment by Bufdir. This is what Kristin Ugstad Steinrem, department director at Bufdir, tells news. According to Steinrem, a renewed but limited mediation permit has been granted for South Korea, then only to end cases in process. Kristin Ugstad Steinrem, department director in Bufdir informs that adoption cases in process must also be closed. Photo: Ole Jørgen Kolstadbråten / news No new couples may adopt Adoption applicants who have been allocated a child from these countries can still apply to Bufdir to complete the adoption. In addition, no new couples will currently be allowed to adopt from South Korea. The three associations that have organized the adoptions from the Philippines, Thailand, Taiwan and South Korea have the opportunity to complain that the adoptions are stopped. Bufdir informs that they will make an assessment to the Ministry of Children and Families about a possible temporary halt in foreign adoption pending the investigation committee for foreign adoption delivering its report in approximately two years. This is a system assessment and is not linked to individual countries. The adoption associations react The associations Verdens Barn, InorAdopt and Adoption Forum react to the decision. – There are no recent reports documenting illegal adoptions from the Philippines. On the contrary, we have reports that adoptions from Thailand are in the child’s best interests, says head of Verdens Barn, Helge Solberg to news. The Adoption Forum also points out that the Philippines receives good support from the Hague Secretariat. – The Netherlands, which has undergone an investigation of the cooperation with the Philippines, finds no illegalities there. The Netherlands has resumed cooperation with the Philippines after their investigation, says leader of the Adoption Forum Sidsel Elie Aas in the Adoption Forum to news.



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