Belgium Morocco Adoption Freeze: Families Trapped in Administrative Limbo

Adoption procedures from Moroccan soil have been at a standstill in Belgium since late 2023. Following Flanders’ lead, the Wallonia-Brussels Federation suspended these procedures, demanding a thorough evaluation. According to information reported by DHnet, Belgian minister Valérie Lescrenier recently confirmed that this evaluation report has finally been completed. The document will soon be examined by the government to determine the fate of the candidates.

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For the couples involved, this institutional paralysis is experienced as a genuine ordeal. Samira and her husband, Belgian citizens of Moroccan origin aged 35, had obtained their aptitude judgment after six years of evaluations. They had just signed an agreement with an approved organization when the process was halted. Faced with the lack of visibility, the young woman expresses her indignation: "We can’t take it anymore, it’s psychologically hard. They’re playing with people’s emotions."

The families’ frustration is exacerbated by the method employed. The national audit was conducted without any consultation with approved adoption organizations, thus ignoring their practices and guarantees. Adding to this misunderstanding is a race against the administrative clock, since candidates’ aptitude judgments expire in eighteen months. If the blockade continues, couples will have to restart the entire process from scratch.

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The strain is now pushing these families to demand clear answers, whether favorable or unfavorable, so they can turn to other countries if necessary. Aware of the harm suffered by candidates who began their procedures before the suspension, the minister promises that official communication will be directly addressed to them as soon as the government has made a final decision.