Sweden Cancels Adoption Operations in Madagascar
The adoption center, Adoptionscentrum, founded in 1969 and the world’s second-largest broker of international adoptions, has recently faced a setback in its operations. After mediating around thirty adoptions from Madagascar to Sweden during the 2000s, the association’s application to continue brokering adoptions from the country has been rejected by Mfof, the Authority for Family Law and Parental Support.
Mfof believes that the adoption process in Madagascar does not meet the basic requirements outlined in the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the 1993 Hague Convention. These rules include ensuring that international adoption is in the best interests of the child, obtaining written consent from family and authorities, and preventing undue financial gain from the adoption process.
This decision comes after both France and Denmark have previously stopped adoptions from Madagascar due to concerns over how the children became available for adoption and the risk of child trafficking. In its decision, Mfof has also raised doubts about the application of adoption legislation in Madagascar and the difficulties in reaching the Malagasy adoption authority.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has also identified extensive problems within the adoption agency from Madagascar and urged the country to address illegal international adoptions.
Mfof’s director general, Per Bergling, emphasized that the shortcomings encountered are serious and widespread, leading to the rejection of the association’s application. In response, the adoption center has expressed its disagreement with the decision and is considering whether to appeal.
This is not the first time that Mfof has declined an application for continued adoption mediation. Earlier this year, the Adoptionscentrum’s application for continued adoption mediation from Panama was also rejected.
Per Bergling acknowledged that there is a risk of irregularities linked to the adoptions that have been carried out so far from Madagascar and Panama. However, the adoption center believes that Madagascar has a functioning adoption process adapted to the Hague Convention on international adoption and has not found any abuses linked to international adoption in Panama.
As the debate continues, it is clear that the ethical considerations of international adoptions are under close scrutiny, and the decision to halt adoption operations from Madagascar to Sweden represents a significant development in the ongoing efforts to ensure the best interests of the children involved.