Category: Impacts to Biological Families

When Adoption Erases Sisters

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Activism, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoption Attachment, adoption reform, Advocacy, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Family Preservation, Forced separation, Grief and Loss, human rights abuses in adoption, identity restoration, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, intercountry adoption investigation, Is adoption the best option, Legal Action taken by Adoptees, legal identity erasure, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Reparation in Adoption, reparative justice in adoption, Rights in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sri Lanka, State responsibilities in adoption, Suicide, The Netherlands, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in AdoptionLeave a comment

A Sri Lankan adoptee, Sita, in the Netherlands shares why restoring identity and family ties must follow the ending of international adoption.

Agent Orange, Adoption, and the Long Reach of War

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee vulnerability, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Attachment, Adoption questions, Advocacy, Birth family trauma, Birth mother choices, Birth Parents Searching, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Finding biological mother, Forced separation, Generational trauma, Grief and Loss, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Motherloss, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Return to Birth Country, Sense of Belonging, Survival mechanisms, Sweden, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, VietnamLeave a comment

Vietnam adoptee Vinh shares his search for family, the impact of Agent Orange, reunion with his mother, and a call to heal trauma and end violence.

Crying out your name

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee vulnerability, Birth Parents Searching, Canada, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Grief and Loss, Haiti, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, UncategorizedLeave a comment

A poignant song by Haitian adoptee, Sabine, in Quebec exploring separation, identity, two families, and enduring love between mother and child across distance.

Intercountry adoptees taking legal action and reclaiming our rights

On 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.

 Adoptions from Colombia in the Context of Armed Conflict, Forced Displacement, and Human Trafficking under the Palermo Protocol

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Activism, Adoptee Support, Adoption questions, Adoption Research, Colombia, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Difficult discussions in adoption, Grief and Loss, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, intercountry adoption investigation, Is adoption the best option, Justice Routes, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Reparation in Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Spain, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, UN Joint Statement Illegal Adoption, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?Leave a comment

Legal report by Andrea exposes Colombia's forced adoptions (1985–2001), urging victim recognition, reparations, and reforms to prevent future rights violations.

Abandoned: its meaning and context

On By Guest BloggerIn Abandonment and Rejection, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Names, Adoptee Search Service Orgs, Adoptee Support, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoption Agencies, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption questions, Birth family trauma, Birth mother choices, Birth Parents Searching, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Difficult discussions in adoption, DNA Searching, Ethiopia, Exploring adoptive parent journey, Forced separation, Generational trauma, Grief and Loss, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Post Adoption Support, Return to Birth Country, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Survival mechanisms, Transracial Adoption, USALeave a comment

Andrea Kay helps us uncover the truth beyond the label 'abandoned' with DNA searching—bringing hope and rediscovery to Ethiopian adoptees and their families.

Book Review: Somewhere Sisters & Daughters of the Bamboo Grove

On By lynellelongIn Adoptee vulnerability, Adoption Agencies, Adoption Book, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, adoption reform, Adoptive parents silence on illegal adoptions, Alternatives to Adoption, Birth family trauma, Birth mother choices, Birth Parents Searching, Birth parents speak out, China, China, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Difficult discussions in adoption, Family Preservation, Forced separation, Generational trauma, Gratitude 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 Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Religion and Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Trauma in Adoption, Twins in adoption, USA, VietnamLeave a comment

Lynelle reviews Somewhere Sisters and Daughters of the Bamboo Grove, exploring identity, nature vs. nurture, and the truths of twins separated by intercountry adoption.

What happens after an adoption investigation?

On By Guest BloggerIn Abandonment and Rejection, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoption Book, adoption reform, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, denial gaslighting minimisation by others, Difficult discussions in adoption, Grief and Loss, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, intercountry adoption investigation, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Reparation in Adoption, South Korea, Suicide, Survival mechanisms, Sweden, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, Truth and Reconciliation Commission TRC, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?Leave a comment

Lisa shares about the challenges and realities adoptees face after national adoption inquiries and public debates becoming toxic.

What rights should intercountry adoptees have?

On By lynellelongIn 1993 Hague Convention, Adjustment and Transition, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Discharge Annulment, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, adoption reform, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Deportation of Adoptees, Difficult discussions in adoption, Forced separation, Generational trauma, Gratitude in Adoption, Hague Special Commission, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Lived experience leadership, Multiple Identities, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Post Adoption Support, Racial Mirrors, Racism in Adoption, Return to Birth Country, Rights in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Sexual Abuse in Adoption, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Lynelle writes about the rights that are to be enshrined in law and practice to create a system that upholds justice, transparency and dignity for every adoptee

The need for a national investigation into the role of the Australian governments in our intercountry adoption history

On By lynellelongIn 1993 Hague Convention, Adoptee Activism, Adoption Agencies, adoption reform, Adoption Research, Adoptive parents, Adoptive parents silence on illegal adoptions, Australia, Birth family trauma, Chile, China, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Difficult discussions in adoption, DNA Searching, Forced separation, Generational trauma, Grief and Loss, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Korea, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Multiple Identities, Origins Search, Philippines, Politics of Adoption, Post Adoption Support, Reparation in Adoption, Return to Birth Country, Rights in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, Truth and Reconciliation Commission TRC, Vietnam, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?Leave a comment

Lynelle discusses why its time to investigate the past of Australia's intercountry adoptions and look into the role our governments have played.

Korea’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Initial Outcome

On By lynellelongIn 1993 Hague Convention, Adoptee Activism, adoption reform, Adoptive Country, Adoptive parents, Adoptive parents silence on illegal adoptions, Birth Country, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Politics of Adoption, Post Adoption Support, Reparation in Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, South Korea, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, Truth and Reconciliation Commission TRC, UN Joint Statement Illegal Adoption, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?Leave a comment

Lynelle discusses the importance of the Korean TRC initial findings to the intercountry adoptee community.

Why I am relieved that China terminated its adoption program

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee vulnerability, adoption reform, Adoption Research, Birth Parents Searching, China, China, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Difficult discussions in adoption, Generational trauma, Grief and Loss, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Racism in Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, The Netherlands, Transracial Adoption, Uncategorized1 Comment

Cindy shares her thoughts as a Chinese adoptee about the closure of China's intercountry adoption program announced late 2024.

Thoughts from Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter

On By lynellelongIn Abuse in Adoption, Adoptee vulnerability, Adoption Agencies, Adoption Documentary, Adoptive parents, Birth Parents Searching, Birth parents speak out, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Difficult discussions in adoption, Family Preservation, Grief and Loss, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Motherloss, Religion and Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sexual Abuse in Adoption, Suicide, Trauma in Adoption, USALeave a comment

Lynelle shares her thoughts after watching Into the Fire: The Lost Daughter, on Netflix.

What do I want from my adoptive parents?

On 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.

How I feel about the end of Chinese intercountry adoption

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoption Agencies, Adoptive parents, Birth Country, China, China, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Politics of Adoption, Post Adoption Support, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption1 Comment

Meredith shares the range of emotions she is experiencing since the announcement by China, her birth country, that all intercountry adoptions will stop.

A formal apology for an illegal intercountry adoption

On By lynellelongIn Adjustment and Transition, Adoptee Anger, Adoptee vulnerability, adoption reform, Alcohol and drug addiction, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Family Preservation, Forced separation, Grief and Loss, Guatemala, Illegal Adoption, Illicit Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Legal routes for illegal adoption, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Older Age Adoptions, Politics of Adoption, Reparation in Adoption, Suicide, Therapy, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, UN Joint Statement Illegal Adoption, USA, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?Leave a comment

A historic day in Guatemala with an apology to a family who were torn apart by illegal intercountry adoption. English translation provided.

The Realities of Adoption and Reunion

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Adoptive Parents, Adoption Education for Professionals, Birth Parents Searching, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Ethiopia, Family Preservation, Grief and Loss, Illegal Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Return to Birth Country, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, USA, What is an Illegal and Illicit Adoption?Leave a comment

Marta shares the realities of reunion with her Ethiopian family.

Children’s Rights to Access Justice and Effective Remedies

On By lynellelongIn Abuse in Adoption, Adoptee Activism, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Professionals, adoption reform, Adoption Research, Citizenship in Adoption, Compensation to Victims in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, DNA Searching, Forced separation, Illegal Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Importance of Connections to Origins, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Politics of Adoption, Reparation in Adoption, Return to Birth Country, Rights in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, UN Joint Statement Illegal AdoptionLeave a comment

ICAV presents to UNCRC on 18May24 for purposes of drafting the General Comment on Access to Justice and Remedies as children with violated childhoods and identities.

Our separation bears down on both of us

On By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee Artists, Adoptee Artwork, Birth Parents Searching, Complexities in Adoption, Forced separation, Grief and Loss, Impacts to Biological Families, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Origins Search, Search and Reunion in Adoption, South Korea, Transracial Adoption, USALeave a comment

Jillian shares her artwork expressing the shared grief and loss of the many years of separation between her South Korean mother and herself before reunion.

Adoptees as experts and influencing international standards through advocacy

On By lynellelongIn 1993 Hague Convention, Adoptee Activism, Adoptees Educate, Adoption Education for Professionals, adoption reform, Adoptive Country, Birth Country, Birth parents speak out, Complexities in Adoption, Critical Thinking in Adoption, Family Preservation, Illegal Adoption, Impacts to Biological Families, Is adoption the best option, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Politics of Adoption, Reparation in Adoption, Rights in Adoption, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, UN Joint Statement Illegal AdoptionLeave a comment

Lynelle shares about the journey from understanding her adoption to becoming an adoptee advocate, pushing for much needed change at international levels.