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Czech adoption at decade low, Romani children often "exported"

17 July 2014
3 minute read

Authorities in the Czech Republic received the lowest number of requests for
adoption last year during the past decade, a total of 626 (see table below). In
recent years the number of requests has been gradually declining.

Last year a total of 1 575 boys and girls began living in orphanages,
according to the Czech Labor and Social Affairs Ministry’s annual statistics on
child protection. The number of children in institutional care has also been
falling annually.

Those interested in adopting children first apply with municipal authorities.
Local governments then transfer the requests, along with the necessary
background information, to the Regional Authorities.

While officials facilitate adoptions, the decision to grant an adoption is
made by a court. Authorities received the most requests for adoption ever in
2006, a total of 912.

The number of adoptions has gradually declined ever since on an annual basis.
Compared to 2006, the number last year declined by roughly one-third.

That number is the lowest in 10 years. Only the year 2012 was an exception to
the decline, when officials received 729 requests.

The falling number of adoption requests may reflect people’s economic
situations, which were worsened by the financial crisis. However, another role
may be played by the fact that the number of people of parental age in the
country is also shrinking.

Adoption requests may be made not just by couples, but also by single men and
women. "However, these applicants must be prepared that it is very likely they
will have to wait for a child a bit longer than a married couple does. A
complete family with both father and mother is still considered ideal," the
Center for Foster Family Care has reported.

According to the center, authorities evaluate what kind of circle of loved
ones single applicants have whom they can ask for help. For married applicants,
authorities focus on the stability of their union.

The length of time that people wait to adopt a child depends on the situation
in that particular region, the number of children available, and the number of
other applicants. "The length of time is also influenced by the applicant’s
specific notions about adoption and the degree of their tolerance for the family
and personal history of the child," the center reports.

If applicants do not find a new child for adoption within three years, they
can be included on a list of those interested in adopting a child from abroad.
If officials do not succeed in finding a child abroad for the parents within six
months, the family may begin to seek a child abroad on their own.

"Romani children are one of our hidden ‘export articles’. They have a problem
being adopted into families here because no one wants them," Czech Labor and
Social Affairs Minister Michaela Marksová Tominová (Czech Social Democratic
Party – ČSSD) recently told a meeting of journalists.

The minister said young Romani boys and girls adopted abroad usually join new
parents in Italy or in northern countries. The ministry reports that in 2008,
approximately 2 300 boys and girls began living in orphanages for children age
three and older, with a total of 8 000 children in such institutions.

Last year about 1 580 children were institutionalized for the first time.
There were a total of 6 500 children in such institutions, which is roughly 25 %
fewer than in 2005 or 2006.

The number of children age three and over who are institutionalized is
falling annually. Last year it fell by 500 compared to the year before.

However, another roughly 1 400 boys and girls are living in neonatal
institutions and in orphanages for children up to the age of three. That number,
according to statistics, has not changed significantly in recent years.

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