Over the past decade, nearly 5,000 Indian children have been adopted by foreign nationals, with the United States, Italy, and Spain leading the tally, official data has revealed.
The trend underlines the growing global interest in adopting children from India, even as questions loom over the transparency and ethics of the adoption process.
Minister of State for Women and Child Development, Savitri Thakur, assured the Lok Sabha that "no complaints of mistreatment or exploitation have been received regarding these adoptions".
However, reports and allegations from activists suggest systemic issues, including "abuse" of children after adoption and "rackets" that illegally obtain parental consent.
Data from the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development shows that the United States has adopted the highest number of Indian children in the last decade, with 2,031 adoptions.
Italy follows with 1,029 adoptions, and Spain comes third with 517. The UAE and Malta are also significant contributors to the adoption trend.
In 2022 alone, 223 Indian children were adopted by American families, highlighting India’s position as one of the top three countries for international adoptions.
Despite this, accusations of fraud and exploitation continue to cloud the adoption system. Activists have claimed that certain unscrupulous adoption agencies exploit legal loopholes to facilitate adoptions under questionable circumstances.
Indian children 'purchased'
In some cases, children are reportedly "purchased" for amounts between ₹30 lakh and ₹40 lakh, with no accountability from the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), the apex body overseeing adoptions in India.
“The scandal under the garb of adoption is appalling,” said an activist. “Parents, particularly from impoverished backgrounds, are often coerced into giving up their children, unaware they may never see them again.”
The lack of comprehensive inter-country adoption guidelines, coupled with government inaction, has enabled large-scale rackets to thrive.
A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) is currently being heard by the Supreme Court, filed by the NGOs Advait Foundation and Sakhee.
The PIL calls for a moratorium on foreign adoptions of Indian children and highlights serious concerns over abuse suffered by adoptees abroad.
The petition also scrutinises CARA for facilitating adoptions of Indian children without due process.
Lawyers Amit Sharma and Kunal Cheema, representing the NGOs, have argued that a "massive adoption racket" is operating in India, involving both Indian and foreign adoption agencies.
They have requested a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the matter. “CARA is permitting such adoptions in violation of the Supreme Court’s 1984 guidelines, which mandate preference for Indian parents,” said Sharma.
According to the PIL, there have been numerous cases where parents, unaware of the implications, have been tricked into signing papers that relinquish their children.
These documents are later used to gain court approval for international adoptions, often without the biological parents’ knowledge.
"In some cases, parents only discover much later that their child was taken abroad under false pretenses," said Anjali Pawar, director of Sakhee.
Activists have also raised concerns over the staggering price of children in the international adoption market, with each child allegedly being sold for ₹30 lakh to ₹45 lakh.
Shockingly, the adoption agencies—rather than the biological parents—benefit from these transactions. The lack of legal oversight has made it easier for criminals to abduct children, forge documents, and facilitate adoptions through fraudulent means.
Indians on the 'waiting list'
The petition further states that over 5,000 Indian families are currently on the waiting list for adoption, while 600 to 800 children are sent abroad annually.
“In many cases, biological parents are unaware that the documents they signed relinquishing their children have been used for inter-country adoptions, and they may never see their children again,” the petition notes.
Despite these grave concerns, the Centre has filed an affidavit stating that the adoption process is legitimate and that "all guidelines are being followed."
Critics argue that the Supreme Court’s 1984 ruling in the Lakshmi Kant Pandey case, which prioritises Indian parents for adoption, is being flouted.
Trends suggest that year after year, foreign nationals are able to adopt Indian children with relative ease, while many domestic applicants remain on waiting lists.
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