Citation

Smolin DM. Wayne Law Rev. 2006; 52(1): 113-200.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Wayne State University Press)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

This article examines international adoptions and explores evidence of illicit activities, or "child laundering," that may be connected with the international adoption system. Citing a wide variety of sources, incidents of child laundering in countries such as Cambodia, India, and Guatemala are analyzed. Child laundering occurs when children are taken illegally from their families through such nefarious means as child buying, stealing, kidnapping, and trafficking, and then are laundered through the adoption system as orphans. Thus, the adoption system treats children in a manner that closely resembles a criminal organization engaged in money laundering. Money is a primary motivation in most cases of child laundering; funds from Western nations provide an incentive that attracts shady people into the system and tempts even charitable child welfare institutions into unscrupulous conduct. Agencies in recipient countries advertise adoption fees; however, the current system provides no transparency as to how these funds will be spent. Also, licensing and regulation of international adoption agencies is incredibly lax. Reforms can be made to the international adoption system to that could reduce substantially the incidents of child laundering. Recommendations include agencies and facilitators providing placement services should be required to disclose the fees and costs of inter-country adoption; limits on permissible adoption fees and mandatory donations should be set; and licensing and regulation of international adoption agencies should be tightened.

Keywords: Human trafficking

Language: en