From Silence to Self: An Adoptee’s Song

On December 22, 2025December 22, 2025 By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoption questions, Adoptive parents, Belgium, Complexities in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Grief and Loss for adoptive parents, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Motherloss, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Survival mechanisms, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, VietnamLeave a comment

Cao shares a song written across decades, exploring search, grief, identity, and healing after loss, silence, and self-acceptance.

Intercountry adoptees taking legal action and reclaiming our rights

On October 17, 2025April 14, 2026 By lynellelongIn 1993 Hague Convention, Abuse in Adoption, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoption Agencies, Adoption Discharge Annulment, Adoption policy, Adoption questions, adoption reform, Adoptive parents, Advocacy, Australia, Belgium, Birth Parents Searching, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Citizenship in Adoption, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Denmark, Deportation of Adoptees, Difficult discussions in adoption, Ethiopia, Forced separation, France, Generational trauma, Germany, Gratitude in Adoption, Guatemala, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, India, intercountry adoption investigation, Is adoption the best option, Italy, Justice Routes, Korea, Legal Action taken by Adoptees, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, New Zealand, Norway, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Post Adoption Support, Reparation in Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, Truth and Reconciliation Commission TRC, UK, UN Joint Statement Illegal Adoption, USA, Vietnam, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?Leave a comment

Intercountry adoptees worldwide are taking legal action to expose illegal adoptions, demand truth, and push for justice, accountability, and human rights reform.

New Motherhood Journey

On January 24, 2025December 30, 2024 By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee vulnerability, Adoptees as parents, Adoption Attachment, Belgium, Complexities in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Motherloss, Not Knowing in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Transracial Adoption, VietnamLeave a comment

Mai Linh shares her thoughts since becoming a new mother as a Vietnamese adoptee.

Birthday’s after Reunion

On January 3, 2025December 30, 2024 By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Birthdays, Adoptee vulnerability, Belgium, Birth family trauma, Complexities in Adoption, Generational trauma, Grief and Loss, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Romania, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Céline share the complications of birthdays after reunion with her Romanian mother.

What do I want from my adoptive parents?

On October 3, 2024October 4, 2024 By lynellelongIn 1993 Hague Convention, Adoptee Activism, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Agencies, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, adoption reform, Adoptive parents, Adoptive parents silence on illegal adoptions, Australia, Belgium, China, China, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Denmark, Difficult discussions in adoption, France, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, India, Is adoption the best option, Italy, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Norway, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Post Adoption Support, Reparation in Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, UN Joint Statement Illegal Adoption, Uncategorized, USALeave a comment

Lynelle shares what she would have wanted from her adoptive parents in response to the fraud and human rights abuses in her adoption.

Tips and Suggestions for Returning to Birth Country

On July 20, 2024July 17, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, China, Colombia, Denmark, Ethiopia, France, Germany, Greece, Haiti, Hong Kong, Importance of Connections to Origins, India, Iran, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, New Zealand, Norway, Origins Search, Peer Support, Return to Birth Country, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, The Netherlands, Transracial Adoption, UK, USA, VietnamLeave a comment

ICAVs newest Perspective Paper offering global tips and suggestions for those considering returning for the first time to their birth country.

Romania from the lens of a returning adoptee

On April 30, 2024April 9, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Belgium, Complexities in Adoption, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Return to Birth Country, Romania, Sense of BelongingLeave a comment

Céline Lăcrămioara, born in Romania and adopted to Belgium, returns as a professional photographer, capturing her birth country and people in these portfolios.

Vietnamese mother searching for her daughter

On January 12, 2024January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Belgium, Birth Parents Searching, France, VietnamLeave a comment

Vietnamese mother searching for her daughter adopted to either Belgium or France

Call me by my Name

On August 3, 2023January 21, 2024 By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Names, Belgium, Grief and Loss, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, South Korea, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

Ae Ra shares about the process of embracing of her birth name at an adoption retreat.

Searching in Intercountry Adoption by Adoptee Experts Webinar

On May 20, 2023January 21, 2024 By lynellelongIn Adoptee Search Service Orgs, Adoptee support provided by adoptees, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Professionals, Australia, Belgium, Colombia, Diversity in Adoption, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Haiti, Impacts to Biological Families, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, South Korea, Switzerland, The Netherlands, Trauma in Adoption, USA1 Comment

ICAVs newest webinar and perspective paper on searching in intercountry adoption bringing you experiences of intercountry adoptees from around the world.

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.

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.