Increase awareness, make norms speedy
Childless couple often approach agents, who search for babies at a good price
Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has laid down clear guidelines on legal adoption methods and the women and child welfare department is entrusted with the responsibility of spreading awareness on the process and the benefits of the scheme, but there is very less done by them in this regard.
As per the CARA guidelines, parents who cannot take care of their children can relinquish the child to government’s custody and any couple willing to adopt a child should register themselves online through CARA and adopt a child.
“In this process, the couple who wish to relinquish their child have to do it for free, but if they do it directly, they get a good amount from the adopting couple which is one reason illegal adoption is taking place. As the legal process is timeconsuming, the childless couple approach agents, who take advantage, and search for babies at a good price,” a senior police official said.”
“Cases are booked and suspects are arrested often based on information about these illegal activities, but rarely the women and child welfare department reports illegal adoptions or child trafficking ,” an official said.”
They opined on the need for creating more awareness on the legal consequences of illegal adoption. “The police department and the women and child welfare department can work together on this aspect,” they said. The Women and Child Welfare Department claims that they had been conducting awareness campaigns at regular intervals and were reaching out to the most interior villagers and tandas. They feel that the lengthy process involved in legal adoption is forcing many couples to adopt illegal means.
Meanwhile, the activists claimed that though there is a procedure set up, it is not being implemented in its spirit. The government should come up with appealing schemes, encouraging more people to adopt children like in foreign countries.
“A new scheme on the lines of ‘Palanhar Yojana’ by the Rajasthan Government will be much encouraging as it benefits the child and the adopting parents and State Governments should consider this to curb child trafficking,” Sunita Krishnan from Prajwala Foundation said.
Officials from government agencies claim that they have strengthened the process of conducting awareness on child trafficking and other government schemes on a regular basis. But cases are being reported from city areas where migrant labourers reside.
With no proper shelter, living conditions, and continuous migration, they do not wish to take care of more than two kids, due to which they give away children for illegal adoption.
“By making the norms more flexible and speedy, we can control this social evil. More awareness should also be created,” an official said.
Activists working on woman and child trafficking issues said that the more sensitising programmes should be held.