The “Quiet Migration”: Is Intercountry Adoption a Successful Intervention In the Lives of Vulnerable Children?

• Published date: 01 January 2014
• Author: Gabriela Misca
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fcre.12070
• Date: 01 January 2014

THE “QUIET MIGRATION”: IS INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION

A SUCCESSFUL INTERVENTION IN THE LIVES

OF VULNERABLE CHILDREN?

Gabriela Misca

Over the past decades international adoption has become a global phenomenon involving cross-border movementof vulnerable

children, mainly from poor, undeveloped countries to wealthier countries. Debates around international adoptions invoke

often-passionate arguments for and against. At times seen as the ultimate form of imperialism, traff‌icking and exploitation of

children, international adoptions are also praised as successful interventions in the lives of the most vulnerable children

worldwide.This ar ticle drawson research f‌indings on the outcomes of international adoption and its impact on various aspects

of adopted children’s development and identif‌ies the gaps relating to evidence-based interventions best suited to the needs of

these children postinternational adoption.

Keypoints

Based on the reviewed research f‌indings, this paper supports the following arguments:

• overall, children adopted internationally can and do thrive in their adoptivecountries;

• such success is guaranteed by the high commitment of adoptive parents and the availability of post-adoption support

services;

• there is, however,a lack of evidence-based practice relating to interventions best suited to the needs of these children

post-international adoption;

• following a globally standardised process and strict protocols may help alleviate illicit activity in international

adoptions;

• existing guidelines must be tightened to ensure that children are the central focus in intercountry adoption and that their

development is not affected by cross-border movement.

Keywords: Child Dvelopment;IntercountryAdoption;and Postadoption Support.

INTERCOUNTRY ADOPTION—A GLOBAL PHENOMENON?

Intercountry adoption, also referred to as international, overseas, or cross-border adoption, encom-

passes the transfer of children across borders into a new and often wealthier country that embraces a

different race, culture and language (Masson, 2001). This phenomenon of cross-border movement of

children—aptly labelled by demographers the “quiet migration” (Weil, 1984)—typically involves the

adoption of vulnerable and disadvantaged children in situations where poverty, abuse and neglect have

become a signif‌icant part of their life (Cuthbert, 2012). Overseas adoption is accepted as legitimate

only when the child is unable to be safely cared for by family members, or adopted within their birth

country. Intercountry adoption in practice is expected to consider the best interests of the child and

his/her human rights and usually prospective adopters have to be assessed and deemed suitable to

assume the role (Department for Education, 2012). In most cases, intercountry adoption describes

adoption of children from less developed countries into more developed countries.

The emergence of intercountry adoption as a movement of children across national borders is

linked to the humanitarian response to rescue children after World War II in Europe, and following the

Korean War in 1956 and VietnamWar in 1975 (Mather, 2007; Young, 2012). The increased prevalence

of such cross-border movement of children has been linked to major social and political changes and

“waves” of intercountry adoptions can be observed historically in conjunction with major social and

political changes. For example, a peak in the number of intercountry adoptions of children from

Correspondence: g.misca@worc.ac.uk

FAMILY COURT REVIEW,Vol. 52 No. 1, January 2014 60–68

© 2014 Association of Familyand Conciliation Cour ts