Swedish government investigator Anna Singer is proposing a total ban on international adoptions to Sweden, following a government inquiry that found widespread abuses in the system.
The inquiry was launched after Bonnier-owned newspaper Dagens Nyheter revealed that children had been stolen from their biological parents to be adopted in Sweden. The investigation showed that both illegal adoptions and unethical practices had been going on for several decades – and that Swedish actors in some cases were aware of the problems when they occurred.
– There have been irregularities in international adoptions to Sweden, Singer said at a press conference this week.
She emphasizes that the practice has not been able to guarantee the best interests of the child, and that the risks today are unacceptable given society’s increased focus on children’s rights.
– International adoption is not a sustainable solution for protecting children as a group, she added.
“Naturally a failure”
The inquiry’s proposals include an official apology from the state to those affected, a national resource center for adoptees, and a travel allowance of SEK 15,000 (€1,400). It also proposes a gradual phasing out of adoption services and increased support for adoptees and their families.
Social Services Minister Camilla Waltersson Grönvall (M) describes the situation as a failure and says that the government now has “even greater clarity that children and parents have suffered and been harmed for decades within the framework of international adoption”.
– These revelations, both past and present, are naturally a failure.
– If adoptions are to continue in Sweden, it must also be possible to guarantee security and legal certainty in this area, she continued.
The government will now send the report for consultation to gather views from relevant authorities and organizations.
Adoptionscentrum opposes total ban
At the same time, Adoptionscentrum, Sweden’s largest adoption agency, has criticized the proposal for a total ban.
– If the alternative for a child is to grow up in an institution, I think that growing up in a safe family in another country could be in the best interests of the individual child, said Vice Chair Margret Josefsson in an interview with Swedish public television SVT’s Morgonstudion.
The investigation emphasizes that irregularities have been going on for a long time and that major changes are urgently needed to protect children’s rights.