What To Do About Adoption Corruption (Summary)

1) Become educated about what’s going on in IA in general.
2) Research the adoption related laws and regulations of a few sending countries.
3) Do ongoing research to understand the cultural/economic/political, etc. context in the few sending countries you’ve selected.
4) Keep tabs on whether your agency and the other adoption agencies practicing in the countries you have chosen, are abiding by the rules.
5) Be aware of the role that foreign fees and foreign orphanage donations play in incentivizing the corrupt sourcing of children for adoption.
6) Hold non-profits and others accountable for how money is spent in the sending countries.
7) Encourage agencies to carefully vet and then hold their own foreign partners responsible for their actions.
8) Join online groups like Adoption_Agency_Research and learn and participate.
9) Find ways to make a difference in terms of the root causes of the “need” for adoption.
10) Educate yourself on the adoption related laws and regulations of your own country.
11) Research the adoption practices of other receiving countries as a way of understanding your own country’s practices. In what ways do other receiving countries “do it better” or worse?
12) Educate yourself on the international documents that are applicable to international adoption.
13) During adoption crises, avoid the temptation to work against investigations, enforcement, and reforms.
14) Work to mature the way adoption is understood in our society
15) Speak up.
16) Speak to PAP’s formally and informally to help them understand adoption from other perspectives, to help them understand adoption corruption, and to help them find ethical agencies.
17) Tell and encourage others to tell the bad stories. Read the bad stories.
18) Pool your resources and use your unique talents.
19) Work for legislative and executive remedies.