MONTREAL — The Quebec government has suspended most new international adoption applications, echoing moves by other jurisdictions that are rethinking the once-common practice because of human rights and trafficking concerns.
Quebec's decision is part of a global"culture change" in recent years as countries have become aware of serious shortcomings in the way many adoptions are carried out, Anne-Marie Piché, a professor in the social work department at Université du Québec à Montréal who studies adoption, said in an interview Monday.
Quebec's system, the province said in a Nov. 27 news release, needs to be reinforced to ensure that adoptions are free of illegal practices, including abductions, sales and trafficking of children."Child protection is at the heart of this decision, taken by applying the principle of precaution and in respect of the Quebec government's international agreements."
In South Korea, a recent investigation by The Associated Press found that many of the 200,000 children sent to Western nations later discovered that their adoption paperwork was inaccurate or fabricated. In some cases, children were kidnapped off the streets, and children were systemically listed as abandoned even though researchers have found that the vast majority had known relatives.
International adoption, Piché added, even with the best of intentions, can violate a child's fundamental right to their own identity, including knowing their origins and family history."Even one who is doing well in their new family, and happy, can feel something missing in terms of knowing who they are," she said.
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