Tuesday, January 29, 2013

It's All About Politics

By Jaesun
Adoption is not easy, not only is it emotional, emotionally draining and time consuming. No, it is also governed by laws since I am a Korean adoptee born and adopted during the peak period of the Korean adoption I know a thing or too about it. But I am far from an expert.

scale of law (Wikimedia)


Korea opted for intercountry adoption placement as a result of the Korean War, which happened in the 1950s and today 60 years later still is widely practised. Although it made some failed attempts to stop sending children overseas for adoption. The latest attempt took place only a few years ago when the Korean government announced it no longer needed aid from foreign countries to care for their young ones. Since being critized it has made it more diificult for foreigners to adopt Korean orphans. Its new policy is to try to
reunite the parents with their child or to have it adopted domestically.

China no longer allows single parents to adopt and it has also implemented stricter criterias that prospective adoption parents have to fulfill.

Many of you should be familiar with the Finnish War children who got sent to Sweden during the WW2, when it was time for those foster children to return back to Finland many decided to remain in Sweden.

Now the latest country to implement adoption adjustment laws is the Russian government. Unlike all the other countries already mentioned it is not doing so because of consideration and care of their children. Ever heard of the Magnitsky Act ? It is a political move intend for the US and also a response to the same restrictions and bans that are mentioned in the Mignitsky Act.

The thing is that their political response act is not affecting more than 46 hopeful prospective adoptive families. That would not be a number equal to what the US did to Russia, but it seems it might have been their only way to show an official objection so to say. For all those 46 families the new adoption ban act means that its likely that their adoption process never will be finalized.

What is the Magnitsky Act then ?
The Magnitsky Act is supposed to be a law only concerning Russian govermental workers and official workers that have been found guilty of Human Right's violations which supposedly should be linked to a foreign trade agreement with Russia. As a result it has become more difficult for Russians to optain a Visa and  Americans are banned from adopting children from Russia.