Awareness drive on illegal adoption

GUWAHATI: Illegal adoption is on the rise in Assam and the State Child Protection Society (SCPS) is carrying out an awareness programmes in different parts of the state to check this undesirable trend. The society has also urged the government to take stern action against those engaged in the illegal adoption business. It has also appealed the couples contemplating adoption to approach only recognized agencies.
Programme manager of the SCPS, Archana Shanti, agreed that that illegal adoption is increasing in the state and said some unscrupulous medical professionals are engaged in the business of facilitating illegal adoption of babies that are abandoned by their parents.
"We often get complaints, but due to lack of proper evidence, we cannot catch the culprits. When we get such reports, we send our workers to find out the truth, but they often have to face the rage of the local people. Lack of cooperation from the local people and police is a major hindrance for us in checking the practice of illegal adoption of babies," she said.
She added that the unethical practice irreparably violates the child's dignity and sense of self-worth. The SCPS has reports of illegal adoption from Dibrugarh, Lakhimpur, Golaghat, Sivasagar and Bongaigaon.
"We took all the babies in our custody and asked the parents to undergo the legal procedure of adoption. After completion of legal process, the babies were handed over to the respective parents," she added.
The SCPS believes that people involved in the illegal adoption racket often spread myths that legal adoption is time-consuming and tedious. Shanti explained that the procedures and guidelines governing legal adoption are designed to protect the rights of the child and the interests of the biological and adoptive parents. The government should also take steps to amend the Juvenile Justice Act in order to stop illegal adoption, she said.
"Awareness alone can act as an effective deterrent against illegal adoption. So we are carrying out awareness campaigns and sensitization programmes among the stakeholders working in the field of child protection, including police, seminars and workshops," she added.