Let’s talk about Illegal and Illicit Intercountry Adoptions

On April 12, 2023January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn 1993 Hague Convention, Adoptee Activism, adoption reform, Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Trauma in Adoption, UN Joint Statement Illegal Adoption, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?Leave a comment

Lynelle starts the conversation on illegal and illicit adoptions that adoptive parents must have with their adopted children, highlighting the lack of supports.

AntiRacism Online Workshops for Transracial Adoptive Parents

On April 7, 2023January 10, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptees Educate, Antiracism Education, Australia, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Racism in Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

ICAV and HUE provide an online workshop for adoptees and families to explore race, racism, how to be an antiracism ally as some of our core issues in adoption.

Searching in Intercountry Adoption by Adoptee Experts

On March 23, 2023January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee Search Service Orgs, Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Professionals, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in AdoptionLeave a comment

ICAV presents a webinar on Searching on 23 April 2023 from lived experience and those who provide a formal search and support service.

UK Intercountry Adoptees Webinar

On February 23, 2023January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Brazil, China, Diversity in Adoption, Ecuador, Grief and Loss, Hong Kong, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Return to Birth Country, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sri Lanka, UKLeave a comment

ICAV UK shares a panel of intercountry adoptee answers to questions asked by UK adoptive parents from AdoptionUK via a webinar run on 30 Jan 2023.

Vietnamese adopted brother and sister find each other through DNA

On February 3, 2023January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Belgium, DNA Searching, France, Grief and Loss, Illegal Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, VietnamLeave a comment

An unexpected DNA match between brother and sister, both separately adopted out of Vietnam to different countries, provides a unique story as intercountry adoptees.

Adopted for 32 years and now FREE!

On December 29, 2022June 3, 2024 By lynellelongIn Abuse in Adoption, Adoptee Activism, Adoptee Names, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Discharge Annulment, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, adoption reform, Australia, Illegal Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Rights in Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, Vietnam2 Comments

Lynelle shares about adoption discharge and fighting for legal justice for the sexual abuse experienced within her adoption and the critical issues this raises.

Navigating Disability and Rare Medical Conditions as an Intercountry Adoptee

On December 15, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoptees Educate, Adoption and Disability, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, China, Complexities in Adoption, Diversity in Adoption, Iran, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Special Medical Conditions, Sri Lanka, Suicide, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, USA, VietnamLeave a comment

What complex issues do intercountry adoptees living with disability and or a rare disease navigate? We have created a resource to help educate on this topic.

One Adoptee’s Thoughts on the UN Joint Statement on Illegal Intercountry Adoptions

On October 29, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn 1993 Hague Convention, Adoptee Activism, Adoptees Educate, adoption reform, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Denmark, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Family Preservation, France, Germany, Greece, Grief and Loss, Haiti, Hong Kong, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Iran, Is adoption the best option, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, New Zealand, Norway, Origins Search, Philippines, Rights in Adoption, Romania, Russia, Search and Reunion in Adoption, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, Uganda, UK, UN Joint Statement Illegal Adoption, USA, Vietnam, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?4 Comments

Lynelle shares her thoughts on the UN Joint Statement on Illegal Intercountry Adoption.

Agent Orange Awareness Month

On October 11, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptees Educate, Adoption and Disability, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Family Preservation, Gratitude in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Impacts to Biological Families, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Special Medical Conditions, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, VietnamLeave a comment

Lynelle shares thoughts of October as Agent Orange Awareness Month which triggers a deeper look into how she came to be sent abroad as a Vietnamese adoptee.

Adoptee Artists

On September 30, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Adoptive Country, Birth Country, Diversity in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Art is an incredibly powerful tool to convey the complexities of lived experience in adoption. Here is a compilation of the artwork presented at ICAV.

Meg at K-Box Adoptee Takeover Night

On September 26, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee Activism, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptees Educate, Australia, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Diversity in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Meg O'Shea presents her comic about returning and searching in Korea at our 9 Sept 2022 K-Box Adoptee Takeover Night in Melbourne, Australia.

Ebony at K-Box Adoptee Takeover Night

On September 22, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee Activism, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Complexities in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Haiti, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Ebony Hickey is a Haitian born intercountry adoptee to Australia whose contemporary artwork we included at the K-Box Adoptee Take Over Night.

Ryan at K-Box Adoptee Takeover Night

On September 18, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee Activism, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, South Korea, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

K-Box Take Over Night at the Malthouse Theatre, 9 Sept 2022 highlighting adoptee artist Ryan Gustafsson, Korean adoptee and academic.

Being Illegally Adopted and a Forced Reunion

On September 12, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee Anger, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Birth Parents Searching, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not ready for Reunion, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Taiwan, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Aimee shares about her illegal adoption from Taiwan and being forced into reunion through media involvement and her first mother and adoptive parent wishes.

The Feeling of Not Belonging Anywhere

On September 7, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Abuse in Adoption, Adoptee Anger, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Eating Disorder and Adoption, Family Preservation, Gratitude in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Racism in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, South Korea, Suicide, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Michelle shares the complexities as an intercountry adoptee and the ongoing feeling of not belonging and how this underlies her many medical diagnoses.

Identifying with our Genetic Mirrors

On September 2, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Brazil, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Racial Mirrors, Sense of BelongingLeave a comment

Ben shares on the importance of genetic mirrors as an intercountry adoptee and coming to terms with being adopted in our video series to educate about adoption.

A Life has been Lived Before Adoption

On August 28, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adjustment and Transition, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Ethiopia, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Older Age Adoptions, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Meseret shares about the complexities of being adopted at an older age, having memories of life before adoption, learning how to trust her new adoptive family.

Finding Peace after Adoption

On August 23, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Abuse in Adoption, Adjustment and Transition, Adoptee Anger, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Family Preservation, Grief and Loss, Haiti, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Older Age Adoptions, Origins Search, Racism in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Jonas shares on the complexities of being an intercountry adoptee, ending up on the streets at age 13 and getting his life back as an adult to find his peace.

Bolivian Adoptee Anthology Book Review

On August 16, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Abandonment and Rejection, Abuse in Adoption, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Book, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Belgium, Bolivia, Canada, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, DNA Searching, France, Gratitude in Adoption, Importance of Connections to Origins, Italy, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Norway, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Racial Mirrors, Racism in Adoption, Return to Birth Country, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, USALeave a comment

Lynelle provides a review of the Bolivian adoptee anthology Communal Histories of Displacement and Adoption by the Network of Bolivian Adoptees

Search and Reunion in Intercountry Adoption

On July 8, 2022January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee Search Service Orgs, Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Adoptive Country, Birth Country, Birth Parents Searching, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, DNA Searching, Importance of Connections to Origins, Key Themes in Search and Reunion, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Not ready for Reunion, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Lynelle provides a summary of ICAVs 2016 Perspective Paper: Search & Reunion - Impacts & Outcomes

Adoptees at the Hague Special Commission

On July 1, 2022August 20, 2024 By lynellelongIn 1993 Hague Convention, Adoptee Activism, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Professionals, adoption reform, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Family Preservation, Hague Special Commission, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Lived experience leadership, Peer Support, Politics of Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Transracial AdoptionLeave a comment

Lynelle shares the history of adoptee led organisation involvement at the Hague Special Commission meetings and the importance of adoptee voices being included.