ANNUAL
MEET OF CARA TO DISCUSS PRIORITY TO IN-COUNTRY ADOPTION
The Fourth Annual
Meet of the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) beginning
here tomorrow will among other things discuss ways and means to
give priority to in-country adoptions and implications of ratification
of Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption. The two day Meet
will be attended by Placement Agencies, Shishu Grehs, Voluntary
Coordinating Agencies from various States and Union Territories.
About 2,800 abandoned
and orphan children were adopted during 2002 through recognized
Indian Placement Agencies connected with adoption. Out of these
1066 were adopted by foreign nationals and NRIs through inter-country
adoption. According to the CARA, there has been a marked attitudinal
change in accepting the girl child for adoption.
CARA, an autonomous
body of the Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment promotes
in country adoption while at the same time facilitates inter-country
adoption of children who are unable to find families in
the country. It is the only Central Authority in the country to
promote inter-country adoption so that every destitute/orphan
child has a family. CARA acts as a clearing house of information
with regard to abandoned/destitute/neglected/orphan children available
for adoption. It also regulates, monitors and inspects the working
of recognized social /child welfare agencies engaged both in-country
and inter-country adoption.
There are at present
70 Indian Placement Agencies in the country recognized by CARA
to carry out in-country and inter-country adoptions of children.
249 Foreign Enlisted Agencies (131 Government bodies) in over
30 countries have also been recognized by CARA. These agencies
sponsor prospective adoptive parents to recognised Indian Placement
Agencies. There are 13 Voluntary Coordinating Agencies recognized
by CARA to promote Indian adoptions and to formulate, develop
and execute programmes and activities for generating (Placement
Agencies) and adoption homes. There are about 48 Shishu Grehs
being run under the Scheme of Assistance to Homes (Shishu Greh)
for providing institutional care to destitute infants and children
in the age group of 0-6 years and their rehabilitation through
in-country adoption. This Scheme has been revised to make it more
effective and adoption oriented. Respective State Councils of
Child Welfare and regional branches of Indian Council of Social
Welfare are also functioning as Scrutinizing Agencies for inter-country
adoptions.
100 participants
representing 15 States and one UT took part in the last Annual
Meet on Adoption in March 2002. It witnessed an active representation
for the first time from Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Uttaranchal
and Chandigarh where adoption is yet to come in full swing. States
like Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Karnataka,
Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Pondicherry
have active adoption programmes.
