80% Of PARentS DOn’t hAve BiOlOgicAl kiDS

“In the UAE, 80 per cent of the adoptive parents don’t have biological children and 20 per cent adopt out of the kindness of their heart,” Dr Andrea Tosatto, a clinical psychologist with the American Centre for Psychiatry and Neurology told Khaleej Times. Dr Tosatto has been counselling prospective adoptive parents and preparing home studies for 10 years in Dubai. In the case of international adoptions, he provides service to 30 couples a year. Home study is a mandatory requirement for international adoptions, according to him.

Expatriate parents from the UK, Spain, Belgium, Australia, Netherlands, Denmark and several other nations living in the UAE have been adopting children from across the globe. A staggering 70 per cent of the foreign adoptions in the UAE took place from Ethiopia till the government banned international adoptions in January 2018. He said: “About 20 per cent of the adoptions take place from Mexico. Some of the other popular destinations among UAE parents are Sierra Leone, Liberia, and some children come from Pakistan,” added Dr Tosatto.

Almost all adoption stories in the UAE are successful ones, according to Dr Tosatto and Omana Menon, who is licensed by India to help couples in the UAE and Gulf countries.

“I attended a wedding of a child who I helped adopt 28 years ago. It was wonderful to see him stand tall and thank his adoptive parents for the life he was given,” said Menon.