Irregularities in transnational adoptions and child appropriations: Challenges for reparation practices

Abstract

Transnational adoption is a global movement of children across borders to new permanent and irreversible legal relationships. It is a circulation that involves social, economic, cultural and political relations marked by geographies of inequalities of power on a global scale. Many of these circulations have been shrouded by illicit practices which mean the violation of child rights. This special issue of the journal Childhood examines individual, social and political narratives on illicit processes surrounding this practice. Drawing from social and political sciences research, the contributors of this collection show the contradiction between ‘silences’ around certain practices in some societies, while in others ‘truth recovery’ has been central to the transition towards democracy. The authors raise concerns about policies and practices that complicate the interests and rights of individual actors.

Irregular adoptions in the Ethiopian-Spanish context: Strategies to redress the adoption triad

“…Our starting point is that, for the possibility of reparation to be opened, the recognition of irregular practices is fundamental. This recognition is hindered by the prevailing culture of silence and denial within States (Gallego and Clemente-Martínez, 2021; Marre and Clemente-Martínez, 2022). State initiatives toward reparative measures are scarce and often disrupted by populist political interests (Fronek et al, 2021).…”

Norskhet i bevegelse

“…tilpasningsutfordringer), adoptertes resiliens (mestringsevne) og biologiske, psykologiske og kontekstuelle variasjoner i adopterte barns tilpasning (Palacios & Brodzinsky, 2010). Nyere forskning har satt søkelys på hvordan internasjonal adopsjon kobler sammen sosiale, økonomiske, kulturelle og politiske aspekter i ujevne maktrelasjoner (Molinero & Clemente-Martínez, 2021), og hvordan adopsjon etter hvert også har blitt en omstridt praksis med konkurrerende diskurser som humanitarisme, utnytting, fattigdom og rikdom (Fronek et al, 2021). I vestlig kontekst har internasjonal adopsjon et humanitaert motiv, som også understøttes i konvensjoner som FNs barnekonvensjon (FN-sambandet, 1989(FN-sambandet, /2023.…”