The case in summary: Bufdir has stopped all adoptions from Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines, which affects 50 Norwegian families who are in adoption processes. The Nordstrand family from Mandal is one of the affected families. They have a six-year-old that they adopted a year ago, and they want to adopt a sibling for him. Bufdir also recommends that Norway stop all adoptions from abroad due to the risk of illegal adoptions and insufficient documentation in many cases. Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe wants an investigation before she takes a position on the council’s decision to stop all adoptions abroad. For the next two years, an external committee will scrutinize Norwegian adoptions abroad. Organizations that mediate adoption from abroad experience a lot of unrest among applicants after the decision. The summary is made by an AI service from OpenAi. The content is quality assured by news’s journalists before publication. – For our son, it will mean having someone to grow up with. I myself have three siblings who mean so much to me, says Hanne-Mari Nordstrand. She and her husband Kristian sit around the breakfast table at home in Mandal with their six-year-old son. They dream of giving him a little brother or sister, but before Christmas it became clear that Bufdir is stopping all adoptions from Taiwan, Thailand and the Philippines. – We had reached the last interview in the adoption process and in the approval in Norway. Then it said boom stop, say the parents in frustration. Hanne-Mari Nordstrand is happy as a mother, but she would very much like her son to experience the joy of having siblings. Photo: Lars Eie / news 50 families affected The family in Mandal is one of 50 Norwegian families affected by the decision. The reason why it can no longer be adopted from these countries is that Bufdir does not grant a new distribution licence. All ongoing adoption cases from these countries will therefore be stopped. Department director in Bufdir Kristin Ugstad Steinrem says this means that cases in process must be closed. – Families who have progressed so far in the adoption process that they have been assigned a child can complete the adoption process, but then only after a special assessment from Bufdir, Steinrem tells news. – The best year of our lives The little six-year-old in Mandal is fully occupied with drawing together with dad. He joined the family a year ago and the parents think the new everyday life is wonderful. – This has been the best year of our lives. We are bubbling over with happiness, says mother Hanne-Mari. The family does not want to expose the son, and therefore we do not write his name here. Now they fear that they will have to find other solutions to get their boy’s sibling. They are now applicants for National Infant Adoption, but according to the parents there is little chance that they will be able to have a child that way. – Now we want to try adoption from other countries, but we really want our son to have a sibling from the same country, they say. They say that the rejection they received just before Christmas came as a shock. The Mandals want siblings for their 6-year-old, who they got from Taiwan last year. Photo: Lars Eie / news Toppe wants an investigation On Tuesday, it was also known that Bufdir recommends Norway stop all adoptions from abroad. This happens shortly after Bufdir stopped communication to, among other things, Taiwan, which affects the family in Mandal. The background for the recommendation is, among other things, that the directorate believes that the risk of illegal adoptions is real. An inspection of Norwegian adoption cases also shows insufficient documentation in many cases, according to Bufdir. Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp) has told VG that she wants an investigation before she takes a position on the council’s decision to stop all adoptions abroad. – 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 the newspaper. Minister for Children and Families Kjersti Toppe (Sp) has told VG that she wants an investigation before she takes a position on the council’s decision to stop all adoptions abroad. Photo: Tom Balgaard/news Bufdir clarifies to news that the decision about Thailand, Taiwan and the Philippines applies anyway. In Norway, there are three approved organizations that mediate adoption from abroad. Children of the world, InorAdopt and Adoption Forum. news has been in contact with the organisations, who say that they are experiencing a lot of unrest among the applicants. Leader of the Children of the World Helge Solberg says no reports in recent times document illegal adoptions from Thailand. – On the contrary, we have reports that adoptions from Thailand are in the child’s best interest, says Solberg. Has launched an investigation An external committee will investigate Norwegian adoptions abroad for the next two years. They began their work last December. The report must be delivered in two years in the form of an NOU. The Nordstrand couple welcome an investigation. – We are positive about the investigation, but if they stop all adoptions, we think it is unfair, says Hanne-Mari. Kristian adds: – Many of us have been waiting for several years and some are standing with the plane ticket in one hand and the picture of the child in the other. They are stopped at the finish line. 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Norwegian families in the adoption process are affected by Bufdir’s decision to stop adoptions – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
