Dutch govt. advised to stop adoption from abroad

The Netherlands should stop adopting children from abroad the Council for Criminal Law and Youth Protection said in an advice that will be presented to the government on Wednesday, Trouw reports.

The government asked the advisory council to research ways in which the adoption process, which has been widely criticized, can be improved. The council came with the advice that foreign adoption should no longer be allowed.

This should be started by stopping adoptions from China, the United States and other European Union countries, according to the council. In China it is very difficult to check whether the proper procedure is followed. And in the U.S. and EU it is implausible that the children can not be placed with families in their own country.

International adoption gave rise to a "demand-driven market", in which the interest of the child is not always put first, according to the council. The Council believes that it is better if the Dutch government shifts focus to ensuring that youthcare be improved in countries from where the Netherlands still adopts.

The Council adds that it is also important that a child has "continuity of education. So that he remains in an environment where he knows the culture, the social environment and language.