Crying out your name

On January 3, 2026January 2, 2026 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.

What rights should intercountry adoptees have?

On May 30, 2025June 17, 2025 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

What I’ve missed out on in being adopted internationally

On May 22, 2025May 22, 2025 By Guest BloggerIn Adoptee vulnerability, Australia, colourblindness in adoption, Complexities in Adoption, Difficult discussions in adoption, Grief and Loss, Importance of Connections to Origins, incarcerated adoptee, Lifelong Impacts of Adoption, Not Knowing in Adoption, Origins Search, Post Adoption Support, Racial Mirrors, Racism in Adoption, Search and Reunion in Adoption, Sense of Belonging, Sri Lanka, Transracial Adoption, Trauma in Adoption, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Jonti shares his journey of exploring what his losses have been in being intercountry transracially adopted from Sri Lanka to Australia.

Why I am relieved that China terminated its adoption program

On January 31, 2025January 31, 2025 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.

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.

Forgiving and Moving On

On June 28, 2022July 1, 2022 By Desiree MaruIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Desiree shares about forgiveness, coming to accept the complexities of being adopted, being part of an adoptive family, and living life as an adoptee.

Two Reasons to Stay in Bloom

On June 23, 2022June 22, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Roxas-Chua shares their artwork and writings to help us understand the complexities of being adopted, the ongoing journey to come to terms with who we are

An Adoptee Shares on EMDR Therapy

On June 18, 2022June 14, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Gabriela shares an experience of undergoing EMDR therapy over a number of sessions and how it helped her to process past trauma to move forward in her life.

What’s In a Name?

On June 8, 2022June 2, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Stephanie shares on what her names mean and how she's integrated them into her sense of identity.

My Adoptee Journey

On June 1, 2022May 24, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Anna talks about recognising the loss of our past as adoptees - celebrating, grieving and accepting it all.

Pop Culture and People of Colour

On May 22, 2022May 18, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Benjamin shares about the barrier of pop culture and TV that can impede the path of intercountry adoptees to explore and connect with their racial history.

Adoption Can Be a Psychological Prison

On May 9, 2022July 25, 2022 By Desiree MaruIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Desiree shares about the complexities of breaking away from toxic ties if an adoption hasn't served our best interests.

If the Moon Could Be My Birthmother Now

On May 5, 2022April 20, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Roxas-Chua shares their artwork and thoughts when contemplating their birthmother, giving tenderness to self and coming to terms with being an adopted person.

America—You Made It Hard to Be Proud to Be Asian-American

On May 2, 2022May 2, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Mary provides insight of challenges she faces as a Korean intercountry adoptee and coming to embrace her Asian American identity despite the difficulties.

Sue-Yen Bylund on Racism

On April 24, 2022April 24, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Sue writes eloquently about racism as an intercountry adoptee for our submission to the Australian Human Rights Commission National Anti-Racism framework.

Gabbie Beckley on Racism

On April 21, 2022April 22, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Gabbie Beckley shares her experience of racism in being born in Sri Lanka and adopted to Australia. This is ICAVs newest Series on Lived Experience of Racism.

Greek Intercountry Adoptee Advocacy

On April 18, 2022April 18, 2022 By lynellelongIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Linda shares her letter to the Greek Government asking for Greek intercountry adoptee rights and support needs to be met. Adoptee advocacy.

India Abandoned Me

On April 15, 2022March 26, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Kris shares as an Indian adoptee after listening to a podcast on why India's orphans are abandoned twice -- but for international adoptees, its three times.

Poetry Reflects My Inner World

On April 12, 2022March 26, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Kev Minh Allen shares poetry that reflects his inner world as an intercountry adoptee, born in Vietnam and raised in the USA.

Toxic Positivity

On April 9, 2022March 26, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn Uncategorized1 Comment

Kate McCann shares about toxic positivity for adoptive parents who have intercountry adopted children.

Painting My Infant Self

On April 3, 2022March 26, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

JS Lee creates an art piece of her infant self and the transformation of the beginnings of her life into a nurturing moment of self love and acceptance.

Ethiopian Adoptee Anthology

On March 31, 2022March 26, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Aselefech shares her thoughts on the upcoming Ethiopian Adoptee Anthology that she has co-administered, coming soon but first, here is the cover of the book.

Finding Strength in the Darkest Hour

On March 25, 2022July 25, 2022 By Desiree MaruIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Stephanie shares about losing her adoptive brother, homeless and mentally ill; the long term outcomes for some adoptees and how it impacts her moving forward.

A Tribute and Legacy to My Sri Lankan Mother

On March 22, 2022March 15, 2022 By Guest BloggerIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

Nimal shares about his incredible work in Sri Lanka to help the women who remind him of his mother, who was given no support and died before he could meet her.

InterCountry Adoptee Voices (ICAV)

Category: Uncategorized