Latest news with #intercountryadoption
Irish Times
03-07-2025
- General
- Irish Times
‘Where are you from?': Adopted people face microaggressions and jokes, report finds
People who were adopted from other countries by Irish families often face microaggressions or jokes at their expense, sometimes from their own relatives, according to new research. The Lived Experience of Intercountry Adopted Adults in Ireland, a report on a study conducted by the Adoption Authority of Ireland (AAI), was launched by Minister for Children Norma Foley in Dublin on Wednesday. As part of the research, nine women and two men aged between 20 and 38 participated in in-depth interviews to discuss their personal experiences. Four participants were from eastern Europe, four from southeast Asia (Vietnam and Thailand), and three from Asia (India and China). Several participants reported that they faced casual 'jokes' or comments because they were 'visibly different to their immediate families'. These remarks often came from strangers but were also 'very likely' to come from people the participants knew well including friends and members of their extended families, the report notes. READ MORE [ Surge in applications to adoption authority for birth information and to trace relatives Opens in new window ] One participant recalled that, when she was teenager, her parents planned to bring her on a visit to her country of origin, prompting some of her relatives to make jokes about it. She said: 'Some of the family were kind of weird about it. They kind of just like 'Oh you're sending her back? You don't want her anymore?'.' Another participant recalled some of the comments directed at her in secondary school, such as 'Oh you're so exotic looking' and 'You're Asian and your eyes are so narrow'. In response to such remarks, some participants said they struggled with their identity and became reticent about forging new relationships. However, others noted that some people in their community would stick up for them, asking the person who made the comment: 'Why would you say that?' One of the participants, who was born in China but grew up in Dublin, told The Irish Times she has very supportive family members and friends, but has experienced many microaggressions over the years – such as being told her English is 'very good'. The woman, who did not wish to be named, is a Gaeilgeoir and went to an Irish-speaking school. She has a traditional Irish name and some people have told her 'that's not your name'; others have asked her if her name is Mandarin. People often ask her where she is from. 'When people ask, 'Oh, where are you from?', they mean, 'Where are you from, as in China?', they don't mean, 'Where are you from in Dublin?'. 'So, sometimes I'll answer and do the whole spiel of, 'I'm adopted from China, but I've been here all my life, mostly'. And other times, if I'm not so generous, I'll be like, 'Oh, I'm from Stoneybatter'. If they ask, 'But where's your family from?', I'll say Finglas.' Sarah Eames said people don't always realise the "impact" of their remarks. Photograph: Órla Ryan/The Irish Times Sarah Eames (36) was adopted by an Irish couple when she was two years old. She was born in Romania. Ms Eames said she is 'lucky' in that she rarely experienced negative comments when growing up in Dublin. 'In my school, there would have been people from all walks of life and all sorts of nationalities. I'm lucky in that way, but definitely I resonate with what other people are saying in terms of feeling different.' Ms Eames is a therapist and often works with other adopted people, many of whom have experienced discrimination. She said people may not realise the impact of making a 'throwaway' comment about someone. 'Your words do matter. If you don't have something that you know is nice to say, just maybe hold it – because you might mean it as a compliment or as a throwaway remark, but it can really resonate with the person.' Speaking at the launch, Dr Judy Lovett, author of the report, said nearly all participants in the study 'experienced racism and discrimination' often via microaggressions and jokes at their expense. Dr Lovett noted that these comments often came from 'adults in the participants' lives, so maybe family, friends or extended family, who ... feel a bit free to speak, kind of, maybe more glibly'. [ Patricia Carey: 'I've had good experiences of being adopted, but that does not mean that adoption is not difficult' Opens in new window ] Orlaith Traynor, chairperson of the AAI, said it is 'quite disturbing' that some adopted people still have to deal with remarks related to their appearance or background, despite the fact Ireland is now 'seemingly a multicultural society'. Ms Foley welcomed the publication of the report, thanking the participants 'for their honesty, for their courage and their willingness to speak about these deeply personal aspects of their lives'. More than 5,000 children have been adopted into Ireland from other countries since intercountry adoption was first legislated for here in 1991. The annual figures peaked in 2008 and have been in decline ever since, reflecting a similar global pattern. The report notes that the research involved a small sample study, so 'caution should be taken when generalising the findings to the rest of the intercountry adopted population'. However, it adds that the findings suggest a need for greater promotion of support services for adopted people and their families. The findings 'also suggest a need for adoption awareness and sensitivity education among the general public, and among service providers such as teachers and healthcare professionals'.
RNZ News
28-05-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Child slavery cases prompt move on intercountry adoption laws
RNZ has reported on cases where adopted children were beaten, sexually abused, lived as servants at home and had their wages removed once they started paid work. Photo: 123RF Fears over child slavery and abuse have prompted the government to make a move on intercountry adoption laws. Briefings to ministers show they have been warned of a 'myriad of risks' to children, involving physical and sexual abuse and domestic servitude, as recently as three months ago. Oranga Tamariki said in a January briefing that despite regular warnings about intercountry adoptions in the last seven years there 'remains no strategic response'. The government says it is now prioritising work on intercountry adoption, including legislative change before the election. Oranga Tamariki (OT) said it was also working to share information with Samoa on New Zealand-resident parents who are applying to adopt. RNZ has reported on cases where adopted children were beaten, sexually abused, lived as servants at home and had their wages removed once they started paid work. Some had been adopted despite their new parents having previous criminal convictions . Children become citizens by descent if they are under 14 when adopted, or can come to New Zealand on a dependent child resident visa if they are under 25. In a briefing to children's minister Karen Chhour, Oranga Tamariki said it had concerns about the 'safety, rights and wellbeing' of children being adopted from overseas, and had been warned about one new urgent case by Internal Affairs (DIA). "The Citizenship Act 1977 does not require the adoptive parent to provide evidence to DIA that the adoption was in the best interest of the children, or that the adoptive parents were assessed as being suitable to adopt," said the briefing. "This case presents a challenging situation for the New Zealand government. Despite concerns raised with the government in briefing papers in 2018, 2019 and 2024 about the risks that section 17 poses, adoption law reform has been paused. "There remains no strategic response to the risks that have been previously identified in the movement of overseas born children across international borders via an adoption recognised by the New Zealand Adoption Act. This is not an isolated case of Section 17 being used as a mechanism to move overseas-born children." The details of the case were redacted. Elsewhere, OT officials said some adoptive families were claiming to be related to the birth mother but "DNA evidence is not required to prove any claims made by adoptive parents that they have a familial link to the children they have adopted." While many children and adoptive families have to undergo assessments, reports and home visits involving Oranga Tamariki and the Family Court under the Hague Convention, a different adoption pathway - section 17 - is open in New Zealand to those being adopted from countries which are not signatories to that international convention. It allows them to be customarily adopted or adopted via a court process in their home country, but does not mandate checks on the New Zealand family by child welfare officials. "Section 17 in its current form compromises the New Zealand government's ability to uphold its responsibilities to the conventions we have ratified, and presents a myriad of risks, as highlighted by the case at hand," the minister was told. A February briefing reiterates the concerns. "There is a body of anecdotal evidence demonstrating that section 17 of the Act lacks adequate safeguards for children who were adopted in overseas courts with compatible legislation and are moved from their country of origin to live with New Zealand citizens or permanent residents. "Section 17 is an unchecked adoption pathway, as there may be no requirement for the overseas court to seek independent information on whether the adoption will serve the best interests and rights of the children, or whether the adoptive applicants are suitable to adopt." The law was "deficient at preventing serious and preventable harm to occur to children, young people and families using New Zealand adoption processes". "Children who are being adopted into harmful environments in New Zealand continue to be reported to Orange Tamarack in the absence of New Zealand adoption law reform." World Vision New Zealand's head of advocacy Rebekah Armstrong said adoptions should be halted from the Pacific countries where "repeated breaches are coming from first and foremost". She welcomed news that adoption law reform was being prioritised, as a "long-overdue step". "However, it's incredibly important that such reforms are developed within a coherent policy framework and not in isolation. In particular, alignment with New Zealand's trafficking in persons and modern slavery legislation is essential. "Currently, our legal definition of child trafficking is out of step with international standards as it requires proof of deception or coercion - even in cases involving children. This is a major flaw and we have been subject to major international criticism regarding this for years now. "There are definitely some red flags in the cases we are hearing about in New Zealand. Adoption becomes trafficking when it involves exploitative purposes - such as forced labour, sexual abuse - or when illicit practices are used, including the falsification of documents, misleading biological parents, or offering or receiving improper payments. "Even when adoptive intentions seem benevolent, the use of unlawful means or the circumvention of legal processes, especially in unregulated or cross-border contexts, can constitute trafficking. To prevent such abuse, adoptions must be transparent, legally compliant, and always prioritise the child's best interests, following safeguards like those outlined in the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption." Reform of the Adoption Act, and trafficking provisions under the Crimes Act, had taken too long, she said. "What is it going to take for the New Zealand government to take this seriously? What I'm scared of is that if we don't urgently act and strengthen these frameworks, which are incredibly weak, we could end up having a terrible catastrophe that results in the loss of life. Slavery is one of the worst offences in the history of mankind. The fact that there are potentially slavery cases now, that's catastrophe enough to me. "We can't be allowing the potential trafficking of children because we've got loopholes in our law." Adoption researcher Dr Barbara Sumner said intercountry adoptions should be halted. "We shouldn't be importing children," she said. "We have countries like Sweden beginning to put an end to the intercountry adoptions because of illicit practices. We know internationally that children in non-biological families suffer, are at greater risk of negative experiences. But we have no figures for that in New Zealand at all." Oranga Tamariki's reporting to Hague Convention monitors had gaps and inconsistencies that did not accurately reflect the adoption situation in New Zealand, she said. There was no way to set the record straight with Hague authorities, who only referred them back to OT. "They are absolutely hiding [information]. Or maybe it's not as extreme as that, that they're just rewriting what adoption is to meet what the general public believes it is, sanitising it. I think they're avoiding critical analysis of systemic exploitation in in the country of adoption for sure. They frame poverty as justification and ignore inequalities and coercion in the sending countries. These are pretty basic understandings. "Just the fact that they can say that law reform is underway (in 2024) when it is indefinitely delayed, just simple things like that. They know where they're at with it, but they don't tell the truth in it. It presents stalled reform as active progress, for instance. And that there's support [available] when there isn't." Immigration lawyer Richard Small said while social worker reports should be completed on families, closing the category in full would hurt genuine adoptions. Oranga Tamariki refused an interview request but international child protection unit manager Sharyn Titchener said in a written statement it was committed to advocating for the right safeguards in a complex area. "Government agencies in New Zealand and Samoa have recognised the urgent need to address the absence of safeguards for adopted children," she said. "We currently have representatives on a government cross-agency group from New Zealand working in partnership with key agencies in Samoa to ensure adoptions are in the best interests of the children involved. "The agencies are working towards an information sharing arrangement which would allow the courts in Samoa to request information New Zealand holds about prospective adoptive parents, such as criminal histories." Chhour's office said she could not comment, as adoptions fall under the responsibility of associate justice minister Nicole McCoy, who also declined an interview. "Several of your questions fall within the remit of other agencies, and I am currently awaiting their advice, which will be considered and discussed with Cabinet colleagues before any public comment can be made," she said in a written statement. "Work on adoption law reform was slowed down in 2023 and paused later that year by the previous government. Given the pressing need for targeted reform relating to international adoption legislation, I have prioritised this work and intend to make legislative change this parliamentary term. "I have asked officials to provide advice on short-term options while we progress more comprehensive legislative reform." Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
