China adoption agency furious over ‘child exchange’ report
Investigation found that US parents used internet to abandon unwanted adopted children from abroad, including China
China’s adoption agency said it was “very shocked and furious” about the findings in a Reuters report that exposed how US parents use the internet to abandon unwanted children they have adopted from abroad, including China.
A five-part Reuters investigation published this month found parents used message boards and forums on Yahoo and Facebook to send their unwanted children to virtual strangers with little or no government scrutiny, sometimes illegally.
“As to the report that refers to American families who are using the internet to relocate children they have adopted and aren’t willing to continue raising, we are very shocked and furious,” the state-backed China Centre for Children’s Welfare and Adoption said in a faxed statement to Reuters late on Tuesday. The centre was responding to a query from Reuters.
“This is an irresponsible act.”
The Chinese adoption centre, commissioned by the government to govern overseas adoptions, said it “attaches great importance” to the report.
“As for the cases involving the adopted children from China, we are actively investigating and verifying and are awaiting a further understanding of the situation,” the centre said.