Preventing illegal adoptions through stricter civil registry cooperation and communication
Following the Dutch report in January 2021 placing a moratorium on intercountry adoptions, there is now a focus on the loopholes in the receiving State – in particular related to recognition of questionable birth certificates. It seems that at the moment, there is no legal obligation to show documents at the municipality’s public counter to prove that a newborn is the parent’s child. Only proof of identity of the parent is required and showing a birth certificate is not mandatory. Maud de Boer-Buquicchio, Child Identity Protection President, participated in an interview to explain measures that can be implemented when suspicions arise during this birth registration process or to avoid fraud. With Defence for Children, she recommended that there should be direct communication between the local hospital or midwives and civil registry concerning foreign birth certificates as part of the verification process. She said “there needs to be a double check on the data that is declared during a birth registration. Civil servants in the Netherlands should be able to verify reliability of the information provided about a birth abroad by contacting authorities abroad, such as local officials, the Dutch consulate, the midwife or the hospital.” Child Identity Protection encourages better communication and cooperation between national civil registry offices, in all cross-border child protection matters, as a way to preserve the child’s identity. Indeed the overriding concern expressed in this podcast, including by a direct victim, is the fact that the real identity of the child remains unknown as a result of these hidden and illegal adoption practices.
