Following the celebrity-parenting trend – high-profile adoptions by celebrities such as Angelina Jolie from Ethiopia, and Madonna from Malawi – many have followed suit, deeming international adoption a popular thing to do.
A few years back, I recall boarding Ethiopian Airlines on a flight to the U.S. from Addis-Ababa, Ethiopia. Once on flight, I wasn’t sure if I had boarded a commercial flight or an adoption carrier. The flight was packed with howling Ethiopian babies in the arms of westerners. It was one of the most perplexing and heart-rending sights, to say the least.
The poignant mood made me join the cries of the babies.
In Ethiopia, in recent years, there has been a dramatic boom in international adoption. According to a report in The Atlantic, in 2010, Ethiopia accounted for nearly a quarter of all international adoptions to the U.S. The number of Ethiopian children adopted into foreign families in the U.S., Canada, and Europe has risen from just a few hundred several years ago to several thousands.
As the increase in foreign demand for adoption has been rapid, it has made it lucrative for the adoption industry to commodify and export Ethiopian children. And even if recent reports affirm the decline of international adoption due to rising regulations and government enforcements, there are issues that remain to be addressed.
The ethics behind an industry that still exists is yet to be wholly tackled.
Perhaps, the creation of such a market that allows agency’s to profit from transactions that have been considered human trafficking necessitates in-depth examination and robust public discourse. Especially given the widespread stories of children that never should have been placed for adoption, in the first place –birthmothers being coerced to give up their babies and even payments and abductions at the hands of brokers procuring adoptees.
Moreover, we’ve heard of various stories revealing difficulties and unfavorable circumstances adoptees are confronted with, once in their adopted homes. And of recent, due to stories that have exposed the ambiguity and ethical question of international adoption, some are realizing and have started to voice concerns, affirming that adopting orphans and non-orphans should be a last-case scenario, with more emphasis placed on helping keep children in their native environment –their home country. Particularly given the prevalent stories of adoptees that seem to be gaining necessary exposure –some even making international headline.
Here’s one account authored by Ethiopian born Tarikuwa Lemma who was adopted into an American family. In this personal narrative, which first appeared in The Guardian, Lemma thoroughly identifies how “international adoption made her a commodity, not a daughter”.
You can read Tarikuwa Lemma’s story here.