Taipei, January 18 (CNA) Norway and Denmark have decided to suspend adoptions from all overseas countries, including Taiwan, following fraud allegations, according to their respective international adoption agencies.
Norway’s Directorate General for Children, Youth and Families announced on Tuesday that it had recommended a two-year suspension of all adoptions from abroad pending an investigation into the alleged illegality.
On the same day, Denmark’s international adoption agency made a similar announcement, saying it would suspend all adoptions abroad, citing concerns about fraud allegations.
Families in Europe, the United States and Australia have been sounding the alarm for years about adoption fraud, with some cases of infants being abandoned when they are actually living with relatives in their home countries, according to international media reports. This includes cases where children were allegedly mistakenly registered as orphans.
Asked about the report, Taiwan Social and Family Administration (SFAA) Director-General Jian Huijuan said Taiwan complies with the Hague Adoption Convention and there is no indication from other countries that adoptions from Taiwan violate international law. said. .
Citing data from 2022, Chen told CNA that of the 110 overseas adoptions from Taiwan recorded that year, 62 were adopted by families in the United States, with Norway and Denmark accounting for one each. .
Meanwhile, SFAA Deputy Director Chang Mei-mei said that Taiwan’s adoption regulations include a legal recognition system and government regulatory procedures for institutions involved in the process.
If these agencies collaborate with international parties, the former must obtain the approval of the Taiwanese government, undergo a thorough evaluation by social workers, and then obtain court approval for such adoptions. “We have to earn it,” Chan said.
A total of 15 Taiwanese children have been adopted by Norwegian families since 2015, according to Li Fanling, deputy director of the Social Work Department of the Child Welfare Federation Foundation (CWLF), Norway’s only adoption agency. It is said that they are adopted. Taiwan working with Norwegian organization.
However, late last year, CWLF received a notice from its Norwegian counterpart regarding the suspension of adoptions from Taiwan and was asked to provide additional identification documents and other data regarding previously adopted Taiwanese children. Lee told CNA.
Lee said the additional information requested included original documents and an explanation of why the children could not be placed for adoption and with their biological families, as Norwegian authorities feared fraud. added.
Mr. Lee said that according to Taiwanese law, records of adopted children placed for adoption in Taiwan must be officially registered, and adoption applications must be approved by the court.
However, she said there are differences between Taiwan’s adoption standards and those of the international community, especially regarding the reasons for adoption. While poverty is commonly cited as a reason in Taiwan, international standards emphasize financial support to keep children with their families, Lee said.