The number of foreign children adopted by Americans fell by 15 per cent last year, reaching the lowest level since 1994 due largely to sharp cutbacks by China and Ethiopia, sources of most adoptees in recent years.
Figures released by the State Department for the 2011 fiscal year showed 9,320 adoptions from abroad, down from 11,059 in 2010 and down nearly 60 per cent from the all-time peak of 22,884 in 2004.
Once again, China accounted for the most children adopted in the US. But its total of 2,589 was down from 3,401 the previous year as China finds itself with fewer abandoned children and more interest in domestic adoptions.
Ethiopia was second, at 1,727 — but that was down from 2,513 in 2010. The main factor was a decision by Ethiopian authorities to slow down the handling of adoption applications to reduce instances of fraud and ease a heavy workload at Ethiopia’s youth ministry.
Following Ethiopia on the list were Russia, which accounted for 970 adoptions, South Korea (736), Ukraine (632), the Philippines (230), India (228), Colombia (216), Uganda (207) and Taiwan (205).
One reason that the overall adoption numbers have dropped so sharply in recent years is that problems of fraud and corruption prompted the US — as well as other nations — to suspend adoptions from several countries, notably Vietnam, Cambodia, Guatemala and Nepal.
Ms Susan Jacobs, the State Department’s special adviser on children’s issues, said Vietnam and Cambodia have made significant progress in reforms that will enable them to join the Hague Convention on inter-country adoption, a step that would allow adoptions by Americans to resume.
Guatemala accounted for 4,123 adoptions by Americans in 2008, the most of any country that year. But the number sank to only 32 last year as the Central American nation’s fraud-riddled adoption industry was shut down while authorities drafted reforms.