Netherlands halts adoption from abroad with immediate effect

The Netherlands is halting adoption from abroad with immediate effect. No new applications to adopt children from abroad will be allowed. Current procedures can conclude, outgoing Minister Franc Weerwind for Legal Protection announced in a letter to parliament, NU.nl reports.

Early in 2021, the government temporarily stopped all adoptions from abroad following a very critical report on abuses in the system. Children were brought to the Netherlands illegally, first families were forced or misled into placing children up for adoption, and data was incorrect or falsified, researchers found.

At the end of 2022, the government decided to allow adoption from abroad again, but only from a limited number of countries and subject to strict conditions and controls.

Last month, the Tweede Kamer, the lower house of the Dutch parliament, asked the Cabinet to work on a “phasing-out” plan for adoptions from abroad. The MPs who supported the motion felt the system was too vulnerable to abuse.

Weerwind advised against that motion at the time because he wanted to set up a new system with a central organization that could more effectively combat abuses. On Tuesday, Weerwind reported that the new system would no longer happen and the government was halting adoptions from abroad completely.

The Dutch government will phase out adoption from abroad in the coming period, Weerwind said. He is drawing up a plan to do so, and FIOM, the expertise center that informs people about adoption, will no longer accept any new registrations for adopting children from other countries. The Minister will discuss current adoptions-in-progress with countries of origin and how they can be completed. He hopes to provide more clarity about this in September.

Weerwind acknowledged that halting adoptions from abroad will have a big impact on those involved in the adoption procedures “both in the Netherlands and in countries of origin, partners in the adoption chain, and also for international relations.” It will also affect existing legislation and regulation. A new adoption law will be needed, he said.