The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has long been touted as a place to look if you want to adopt, with more than 4 million orphaned children, according to UNICEF. US adoptions from the DRC exploded by 645 percent between 2010 and 2013. But then something shifted.

And for many kids and families the process became arduous.

For the past two years more than 150 adopted children (to mostly American families) have been waiting to leave the country to join their new families.

What’s holding them up?

The DRC has long been plagued by economic depressions and conflicts. The Eastern Congo was even the site of what is now known as Africa’s Civil War.  Given the precarious political and social landscape, it is not surprising that bureaucratic problems exist.

In 2013, at the end of the adoption boom,  the Congolese government stopped all international adoptions, under the pretense that the nation’s adoption system was corrupt and inundated with falsified documents. 

The government delay affected more than 400 hundred families in the US, Canada and Europe.

Congolese government officials have said that fear of child abuse, sex trafficking, and even concern about adoption by gay couples are also justifications for the delay.

For families caught it this mess, the process can be heart breaking. Prospective parents have even abandoned the process. 

Regulating adoption for the good of the child

The government’s fears of child sex trafficking as a result of lax adoption laws are well-founded. Adoption agencies don’t always have the best intentions when they  match orphaned children with families. For example, In 2007, Guatemala stalled adoption after it had been revealed that children from intact families had been kidnapped and adopted into US families.  Other countries that have stalled, or completely shut down adoptions for similar allegations include: Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam and Haiti. 

A child is not a commodity that can be traded.  International adoption agencies that have been busted for unsatisfactory practices are tempted by the amount US, Canadian and European families are willing to spend. When a country closes adoptions, another country quickly takes its place.

The legal process in the DRC has become long-winded and messy, but country’s hesitation likely stems from times in the past when international adoption systems were busted for corruption. 

Sadly, even with government delays, nefarious practices in the DRC have still occurred. In October, it had been discovered that more than 80 adopted Congolese children had been illegally transported to the United States through black market child smuggling. 

International adoptions are mostly good, as they tend to bring children to more stable situations. Ultimately, adoption must always be carried out in a way that benefits the orphaned child and if that means strict guideleines, then they must be followed. 

Finally an end

Recently, the government agreed to grant long-stalled permits. And they also announced a commitment to consider 900 more adoption cases within the next month, and Parliament plans to take up a bill to better regulate foreign adoptions within the next year.

For the next few months, adoption in the DRC will continue to be a slow process, but if it means properly protecting each and every child, then so be it.

TopicsAfricaChild HealthDRCGlobal IssuesCitizenshp

Editorial

Demand Equity

150 adopted Congolese children will FINALLY go home to their new families

By Katherine Curtiss