International Adoption Trendsā€¦And Serious Efforts to Change Them

By Jedd Medefind on August 10, 2011

Our friends at JCICS today shared an internal report on trends in international adoption.Ā  It confirms the continued impacts of a deeply-flawed inter-country adoption system globally.Ā  From 2004 to 2010, the number of such adoptions to the U.S have dropped by 51%, and will likely decrease further this year.

It is as ironic as it is sad that as more and more Americans stand willing to adopt orphans, their ability to do so grows more and more constricted.Ā Ā  As explored in a prior blog post, there are silver linings in this reality.Ā  But the tragic reality is that countless children are growing up on the streets and in institutions because of governmental policies that constrict adoption.

One very serious effort to reverse these trends, however, is the recently-launched Both Ends Burning.Ā  Although tackling deeply complicated issues related to inter-country adoption, the ultimately goal of the campaign is simple:Ā  to enable more orphans to end up in caring families.Ā  The campaign will highlight not just the brokenness of the current system, but the positive message that it can be improved.Ā  Both Ends Burning intends to pair a serious public awareness campaign to put encourage reform with an equally serious effort to help foreign governments adopt best practices for both in-country and inter-country adoption systems.

The campaignā€™s upcoming ā€œStep Forward for Orphans Marchā€ will spotlight the need to address the serious problems in the inter-country adoption system, which ultimately hurt children and discourage adoption.Ā  The march is intended to make a positive statement, building public awareness that the current system can be significantly improved.Ā  See the invitation video to the March and more information on Both Ends Burning.

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