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INFERTILITY   ADOPTION   POST-ADOPTION   FAMILY TREE   Adoption Resource Central    Heart of Adoption Articles to inspire   COUNTRY NEWS The latest from specific countries   You can order Family Helper publications   Robin's GLOSSARY of adoption terms		Adoption slowdown in China starts the great decline of 2006 BY ROBIN HILBORN, Family Helper editor
		(Aug. 25, 2007)   It's official: a third year of decline in the numbers marks the start of a new trend -- downward -- in international adoption in Canada. Citizenship and Immigration Canada released the international adoption statistics for 2006 to the Adoption Council of Canada on Aug. 16, 2007. They show that in 2006 Canadians adopted 1,535 children from abroad, a striking drop from the figure of 1,871 in 2005 -- down 18% in one year. This comes on the heels of two preceding years of decline, marking the end of a decade of stability. Here is the trend since 1995:   1995: 2,010     1998: 2,222     2001: 1,874     2004: 1,955   1996: 2,061     1999: 2,019     2002: 1,926     2005: 1,871   1997: 1,800     2000: 1,866     2003: 2,181     2006: 1,535 At 1,535 children adopted from abroad, 2006 has finally fallen below the threshold of 1,800 a year which Family Helper has always quoted ("Intercountry adoptions to Canada have been stable for a decade, falling in the range of 1,800 to 2,200 a year"). A fall of 18% in one year bodes ill for the future of international adoption in Canada. Not only have numbers fallen now for three years, they look to continue on the downhill slope, primarily because of restrictions in China (see below). The upshot for Canadians wishing to adopt from abroad is a longer wait to be matched with a child (for China the wait jumped from six months in 2005 to ten months in 2006), and a choice of children available for adoption who tend to be older or who have special needs and challenges. Indeed, as options shrink in international adoption the quick and easy adoption from abroad is becoming a thing of the past. It's hard to avoid the pessimism of Douglas Chalke at Sunrise Adoption in North Vancouver, B.C.: "Five years ago I would not have predicted the extent to which countries around the world have shut down to adoption (or are in the process of doing so). Adoptions from China, as we know them, may not last much more than another decade." Would-be adopters in the United States face the same sombre prospects as Canadians. According to the Children's Bureau at DHHS in Washington DC, in "New Regulations May Impact Intercountry Adoptions", about 20,000 children a year are adopted from abroad by U.S. citizens. In 2006 U.S. families welcomed 6,493 Chinese, 3,706 Russian and 4,135 Guatemalan children. [Guatemala is not open to Canadians.] "However, recent developments in each of these countries may delay or restrict future adoptions by U.S. parents," says the Children's Bureau. * China has now placed greater restrictions on families who adopt. New requirements regarding prospective parents' age, marital status, medical conditions, and more, went into effect on May 1, 2007. One restriction prohibits single-parent adoption. ["May 1: nine new adoption rules start in China"] * Russia is now withholding approvals on adoptions, while it accredits U.S. adoption agencies. No U.S. adoption agency is currently [July 2007] accredited in Russia, and a new law requires five ministries to approve American agencies before U.S. families can bring home Russian children through those agencies. * Guatemala. The State Dept. has serious problems with the oversight of adoption practices and does not recommend adopting from Guatemala. Adoptions will not be possible once the U.S. implements the Hague Convention. Here are the top 25 countries in 2006, compared to 2005 and 2004:     International Adoptions in Canada, Top 25 Countries   2006 2005 2004 China 608 973 1,001 Haiti 123 115 159 South Korea 102 97 97 United States 96 102 81 Russia 95 88 106 Ethiopia 61 31 34 Philippines 53 70 62 India 36 41 37 Vietnam 34 x 6 Colombia 31 18 38 Ukraine 23 39 16 Thailand 21 21 40 Jamaica 19 22 23 Pakistan 19 17 7 Liberia 16 10 x Taiwan 12 30 15 Bulgaria 11 10 10 Cambodia 10 10 14 Kazakhstan 10 x x South Africa 9 x 8 Mexico 9 x 5 Guyana 7 8 14 Nigeria 7 6 6 Brazil 7 6 x Albania 7 x x Other Countries 109 157 176 Total 1,535 1,871 1,955     x = From 0 to 4 [number suppressed by CIC to protect privacy] China remains the most popular country for Canadians adopting internationally (608 out of 1,535, or 40% of all international adoptions). However, China dropped 38% in one year (608 adoptions vs. 973) and, with new restrictions now in place, the downward trend is likely to continue in the future. China brought in its new rules specifically to slow down applications from foreigners to adopt Chinese children. China has narrowed the field of eligible adopters, shutting out single people and those morbidly obese or over 50 (unless you want a special needs child). However, the demand stays strong and some people may resort to extreme measures ("Man Resorts to Surgery to Adopt Child," AP, Aug. 25, 2007). Five countries appear in the top 25 for the first time: Albania, Kazakhstan, Mexico, South Africa, Vietnam. Five countries from 2005 didn't make the top 25 in 2006 (brackets give the figure for 2005): Congo (11), El Salvador (5), Ghana (15), Hong Kong (8), St. Vincent (5). For the complete international adoption statistics for 2006, see Adoption Council of Canada, "Downward Trend Continues". The ACC report includes breakdowns by province, by age and sex of the child, and by Census Metropolitan Area. For the status of adoption in specific countries, and background, see Country News. Articles by Douglas Chalke are in Heart of Adoption. ______________________________________ You may reproduce this item with the credit: "From Family Helper, www.familyhelper.net"