| In the early hours of Dec 26th 2004 the Western | | | | The local administration has asked those interested in |
| world awoke to the unfolding horror that we came | | | | adoption to send in applications. But they are in no |
| to know as the Asian Tsunami. Those of us still | | | | hurry to move these children out. |
| recovering from obscenely large amounts of food | | | | Around 60 children have been put up in an orphanage |
| and drink from the previous day sat transfixed as we | | | | run by the Zion Church in Nagappattinam. |
| watched a horror story of biblical proportions unfold | | | | Parvathi lost her parents but has returned to the |
| before our very eyes. | | | | school to take her examinations. She visits her |
| The United Nations estimated that the Asian Tsunami | | | | relatives once a month and says she prefers to stay |
| left more than five million people homeless, including | | | | in Nagappattinam. |
| about 1.5 million children most of whom became | | | | Local charities and social activists have lobbied hard |
| orphaned. The outpouring of emotion from around | | | | with the government not to "give away" these |
| the world was of mixed benefit as far as the region | | | | children for adoption. Aftab, a young activist, says he |
| was concerned in that yes we all dug deep into our | | | | learned a lot from the aftermath of the Gujarat |
| pockets and yes we all lobbied our Politicians to | | | | earthquake in 2000. |
| something about it and yes bizarrely this tragedy | | | | He says that in the past two months there have |
| may have had some knock on effect in the | | | | been several instances of representatives of |
| movement to alleviate Third World debt and poverty | | | | organisations trying to "forcibly" take away orphans. |
| but the blessings were mixed as far as the people on | | | | Nagappattinam was one of India's worst-hit areas" |
| the ground were concerned. | | | | The local community objected and expressed its |
| Since the disaster, adoption agencies around the | | | | willingness to take care of such children," says Aftab. |
| world have been fielding phone calls from | | | | "None of these children want to be moved out," he |
| well-meaning families wanting to adopt a child from | | | | says. |
| one of the countries hit. | | | | The local administration, Aftab says, is still not clear |
| Adoption experts say the best thing people can do is | | | | about what it wants to do with them. |
| to donate money to causes that directly help the | | | | He has met representatives of different villages who |
| children. They say it's wrong to take a traumatized | | | | back the idea not to move them out. |
| child away from the environment that they have | | | | "Why should these children be sent to orphanages |
| grown up in. | | | | and homes far from here?" he asks. |
| "Adoptions, especially inter-country ones, are | | | | Efforts by individuals like Aftab seem to have had an |
| inappropriate during the emergency phase as children | | | | impact. |
| are better placed being cared for by their wider | | | | The local administrator's office has decided against |
| families and the communities they know," said the | | | | any hasty decision. |
| charity Save the Children in a statement released Jan. | | | | One official summed up the dilemma faced by the |
| 6, 2005. | | | | government: "The issue of children is a delicate |
| International Adoption needs to be well planned | | | | matter in any community... one wrong step and we |
| "The last thing they need to do is be rushed away to | | | | will invite the wrath of the people." |
| some foreign land," said Cory Barron of Children's | | | | Adoption experts are hoping the outpouring of |
| Hope International, an American adoption agency. | | | | interest in adoptions from the tsunami disaster might |
| "We have to think of the child first." | | | | translate into adoptions elsewhere. The real tragedy |
| Adoption by some well meaning couple in the west | | | | is that the tsunami doesn't even dent the numbers |
| flying half way round the world bearing large sums of | | | | of orphans worldwide, the real numbers are |
| money to whisk the child away to a life totally alien | | | | unfathomable. Most adoption specialists say the |
| to everything it has known isn't always what is in the | | | | number of orphans globally may be somewhere in |
| best interests of the child. | | | | the range of 40 to 60 million-13 million in sub-Saharan |
| It is worth bearing in mind the following facts after | | | | Africa alone due to the AIDS crisis there, and many |
| any tragedy like this: | | | | more in Russia, China and Latin America. Only a |
| - Children will be experiencing an immense sense of | | | | fraction of those children are in official adoption pools. |
| loss and grief. | | | | "We are hopeful that the tsunami-affected countries |
| - They will need to know what they feel is normal | | | | will eventually have an open mind to international |
| and that they're not going crazy. | | | | adoption," says Thomas Atwood, President of the |
| - They need to be with people they know and to | | | | US National Council for Adoption. "But we're also |
| feel as safe as possible. | | | | hopeful that parents will look to adopt children in |
| - They need to establish a daily routine as soon as | | | | other parts of the world. There are thousands of |
| possible to reduce their fears. | | | | children available for adoption right now. For those |
| - They should play with other children to have time | | | | whose hearts have been tugged by the tsunami, |
| away from their fears and allowed to have creative | | | | perhaps this is a step in their journey towards |
| expression such as materials to draw. | | | | another child." |
| - Those separated from family members need to be | | | | So perhaps even after the darkest and most terrible |
| registered as soon as possible and reunified quickly. | | | | of tragedies there can be some positive long term |
| - Putting children in a temporary care facility or an | | | | benefits and these are that whilst a large number of |
| orphanage should be the last resort. | | | | people may ignore the need or desire to adopt from |
| Around 200 children were orphaned and many more | | | | within their own communities in favour of adoption |
| lost one parent when the Tsunami struck the district | | | | with an International dimension this raising of the |
| of Nagappattinam in Tamil Nadu state, the | | | | Adoption Profile and the inherent potential problems |
| worst-affected region in India. | | | | may well bring some of those new to Adoption back |
| The local administration has handled scores of queries | | | | to considering Adoption from within their |
| from individuals and organisations wanting to adopt | | | | communities. The other benefit that can be taken |
| the children. | | | | from this whole affair may be the overall increase in |
| But fears of human trafficking have made the | | | | the awareness of the concept of Adoption itself. If |
| government tread with caution. The emphasis now is | | | | this in turn leads to more children being partnered |
| on rehabilitating these children in the local communities. | | | | with Adoptive Families then that can only be |
| Suryakala, a district social welfare officer in | | | | considered good. |
| Nagappattinam, says many children they talked to | | | | Stephen Morgan is the principal advisor for |
| preferred to remain here rather than move out of | | | | International Adoption Information, an independent |
| the area. | | | | advisory organisation in social and child welfare. |