Encouraging moms to savor the beauty of home & life in Christ

Adoption and Child Trafficking

Christin Slade Avatar

Today, I see children being advertised through websites and social media avenues. While some of these methods, I know, are used simply to get the word out about a particular child, usually older or with special needs, many times that is not the case.
When we first started researching adoption, our eyes were opened to some horrifying truths.

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I speak specifically of international adoption in this case, because I am still learning the ins and outs of the American foster care system (which, to me, is looking just as ugly).

Educate Yourself

If you are looking into adoption, please, please understand what is involved beforehand. My hope is to be able to enlighten and educate people as much as possible from what I have learned. Sadly, many prospective adoptive parents (PAP’s) jump into adoption blindly. They don’t realize that trafficking can be involved which results in adoption becoming a money-making industry rather then an orphan care ministry.

And unfortunately, prospective adoptive families have [unknowingly] feed the problem of trafficking with their demands for specific types of children. They don’t realize that they are contributing to the problem.

We want to help give already orphaned children a home, not create orphans.

Adoption as a Money-Making Industry

Adoption becomes an industry when you have prospective adoptive parents lining up for the same type of child: a baby, a baby girl, a baby boy, a child two years old or younger, a specific sex. Healthy. These are very common “wants” from families interested in adoption.

So what happens is people working with/for you, often through an agency and in country, go out and they find these children who will fit these descriptions. They bribe their biological parents into giving their children up. They lie to them. They pay them. They tell them whatever they need to in order to get them to hand over their child. Some parents believe they will see them again. Some have never even heard of adoption or know their child is about to be sent to America or some other foreign country.

Is this always the case? No, of course not. But unfortunately, it’s rampant enough to know which agencies to avoid and what red flags you need to look for when going through the process or researching before you begin. It’s happening often enough to need to be thoroughly educated and proactive about avoiding its trap.

Facing Reality

Orphan care and adoption isn’t the beautiful picture I once imagined before embarking on this journey. It’s full of beauty, just of a different kind. And it automatically begins with tragedy.

And the system is broken and the more the government tries to make the system work, the more broken it becomes. Tightening the reigns may help tighten up on trafficking, but it also drastically cuts down on adoptions. This doesn’t help the children either.

It lies in the hands of the prospective adoptive parents to educate themselves on child trafficking and what red flags to look for within agencies, power of attorney’s, and individual cases–even their own. Especially their own.

The pictures advertising these children? They often serve a purpose. To pull at emotional heartstrings and cause you to “fall in love”. Once you’re captured by that face, all you can think about is getting them home. Knowing a child’s history, asking lots of questions about how they came to be an orphan, and not ignoring red flags are all important to spot trafficking.

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Christin Slade Avatar
  1. Ami Avatar

    Hi Christin,
    I agree with you about parents needing to do research and understand the ins and outs. I’ve even written a post on adoption ethics: http://www.walkingbytheway.com/blog/adoption-ethics/

    However, I would love for you to explain this statement a bit more: Today, I see children being advertised through websites and social media avenues. While some of these methods, I know, are used simply to get the word out about a particular child, usually older or with special needs, many times that is not the case.

    What about a site like Rainbow Kids? What are your feelings there?

    Thanks!

    1. Christin Avatar
      Christin

      While Rainbow Kids certainly falls under the description of advertising children, I do not know whether they are linked with child trafficking because I have never used them nor done enough research to find that out. However, I have heard people tell me to steer clear of it.

    2. Christin Avatar
      Christin

      My initial comment about advertising for children was made in lieu of trafficking. Again, I understand that it helps to spread the word about children in need. But sometimes it seems more like exploitation then anything else. I’m indifferent to Rainbow Kids. I have no opinion one way or the other at this point. Do you have experience with them that you can share?

      1. Ami Avatar

        We actually saw a child on the wait list with Rainbow Kids and decided to go forward with an adoption. I wanted to come back and update for you (it was too early to talk about it last time around!). ๐Ÿ™‚ Her photo was blurred out (as requested by her birth country). I appreciate that RK honors the wishes of the agencies/birth countries. Some sites do not.
        Now that I understand how things work, I can make this claim: If a child on RK is a trafficked child, it’s the fault of the orphanage, birth country, and agency . . . not RK. ๐Ÿ™‚

        1. Christin Avatar
          Christin

          I appreciate your clarifying that for me, and can totally see how that would be the case. There is always a risk, I’d say. I hope that RK does whatever it can to be sure the children they are receiving do not carry red flags of trafficking. I am happy for you and glad you did your research! Many PAP’s fail to do that and the results can be devastating and heartbreaking.
          Blessings to you as you endeavor this journey. It is not an easy one, but God goes before us. ๐Ÿ™‚ I do hope we can keep in touch!

  2. Samantha Avatar

    Thank you for speaking out about these issues.

  3. Alexis Avatar
    Alexis

    Is there a specific Christian international adopting agency that you would be able to recommend to me?

  4. Shari Avatar
    Shari

    While I have no doubt this happens, I’d surely love to know your sources.
    Also, which agencies should people avoid????

    His,
    Shari

    1. Christin Avatar
      Christin

      My sources include talking with people who have experienced it and organizations who work hard to avoid it. It’s not necessarily something that is plastered about that you can read about in the news (though I wish it were). Instead you read and talk with people who have experienced it and have learned the red flags to avoid.
      You may be able to do a Google search and find popular bloggers such as Jen Hatmaker talking about it. There may even be a book or two published, but I wouldn’t know them. Most books that talk about adoption or orphan care fail to address trafficking.

      As a general rule of thumb, I would avoid agencies that are pilot programs. That means they have JUST begun adoptions in a specific country. I would also avoid agencies who want nothing to do with accountability and cannot answer straight-forward questions about their process and tactics.

  5. http://subduedtariff87396042.pen.io Avatar

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