Huge demand for adoptions

Visakhapatnam: Hundreds of childless couples are waiting for their turn to adopt the children from the state government run Specialised Adoption Agency (SSA) Sishugruhas. With the rise in infertility cases, there is a huge demand for adoptable children in the Sishugruhas across the state.

At an average for each adoptable child there are 90 couples are in queue across the state. Surprisingly, majority of the applicants are asking male child only for adoption. Meanwhile, a large number of couples, who are adopting the children of their relatives and known families as per the Hindu Vedic rituals, are not being listed in the government records.

Highlights:

• A large number of couples are waiting for their turn to adopt children
• Infertility and late marriages are some of the reasons for the rise in adoptions

There are 80 adoptable children available in Sishugruhas while the number of applications for adoption is 971.
In Visakhapatnam district, 133 couple are in queue against 11 adoptable children available, in Kadapa there are 16 Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) are waiting where seven adoptable children only available.

There is no child available for adoption in Vizianagaram district, but 27 couples are waiting. As many as 242 children have been given to adoption to couples across the country, while 20 children were given for adoption to the other nations from various Sishugruhas in the state in the past three years.

With the number of PAPs increasing across the country, the Central government has revised the adoption regulations and new adoption regulations 2017 have come into force from January 16, 2017. The Central government also constituted Central Adoption Resource Authority to promote legal adoptions in the country.

There are over 23,500 couples registered their names across the country and waiting for a chance to adopt a child. Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System, an online information system, for facilitating, guiding and monitoring the adoption programme was launched by the government.

"Yes, the number of PAPs is increasing. Normally, the childless couple will opt for children from their relatives are known families with in their communities. Now, the mindset has been changing and they are visting the Sishugruhas to adopt the children. Earlier, the people are reluctant to adopt an unknown child. But now, they are accepting to take the responsibility of unknown child, a senior official of Department of Women Development and Child Welfare (DWDCW) said.

There are 80 adoptable children available in the Sishugruhas and 971 applicants are waiting, the DWDCW official explained.
The doctors are saying that the infertility cases among men and women are increasing due to the several reasons. Similarly, late marriages and couple not showing interest to become parents soon after their marriage are some of the reasons couples becoming childless.

Meanwhile, food habits, drinking, smoking and stress are increasing the infertility both in men and women. Adoption of an unknown child is a very sensitive issue,” Saroja Devi, an advocate, who deals medico legal cases said.

By VKL Gayatri