Following several illegal adoption scandals, the Norwegian Ministry of Children and Family Affairs considers announcing the suspension of the foreign child adoption system, pending further investigation.
Bufdir, the state agency in charge of adoption in Norway, is considering temporarily suspending all adoption of foreign children due to several scandals revealed in the press.
Bufdir’s decision will then be forwarded, before Christmas, to the Ministry of Family and Children’s Affairs, awaiting Minister Kjersti Toppe’s final decision. If approved, adoption of children from countries outside Norway will be suspended until at least 2025.
During this time, a committee set up by Children’s Minister Kjersti Toppe will examine the legality of Norway’s system for adopting foreign children.
This decision follows several revelations in recent months within the Norwegian press. The daily newspaper Verdens Gang (VG) has exposed numerous cases of illegal adoption and non-compliance with Norwegian procedures.
Children torn from their home
In an investigation published in January, VG disclosed that Norwegian authorities were aware of illicit adoptions involving children from Ecuador. In the late 1980s, 13 Ecuadorian children were abducted from their families by lawyer Roberto Moncayo. These children were then brought to Norway for adoption by other families. The Norwegian government even paid large sums of money to the Ecuadorian government to hush up the case.
Other cases of abducting or false adoption contracts were revealed by VG involving South Korea, Colombia, the Philippines, Taiwan and other countries. In the majority of these cases, the government was aware of the illegality of the procedures, but took no action to rectify it.
The media coverage of these cases has encouraged many adopted children to speak out, suspecting that they have been adopted illegally. In 2022, seven of them harbored suspicions, but as of today, Bufdir reports that the number has surged to over 74.
Many of them began testifying and searching for their biological parents almost 30 years later. Luis Mikal Bråtveit, one of the 13 kidnapped children, shared his story with VG. When he arrived in Norway, he remembered his biological family very well, and testified that he never felt at home in Norway, often asking where his parents were.
Now an adult, he has been able to reunite with his family, but “the link with [his] biological family is completely broken. Yes, I can get to know them, but that feeling of security with my mother, they’ve taken away from me forever.”
Meanwhile, Ea Kristine and Snorre Bakken, a Norwegian couple interviewed by NRK, are worried about further postponements of adoption procedures. Having already prepared the room for their future child, the delays, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic, persist due to the upcoming investigation. While the couple recognizes the importance of rigorous procedures, they question the complete suspension of the adoption process.
