Flanders Halts Adoptions from Morocco, Gambia, and Haiti Amid Transparency Concerns

In addition to Morocco, Gambia and Haiti are affected by the measure. These three countries are added to Vietnam, which had already been removed from the list of countries of origin of children to be offered for adoption to Flemish families. The Dutch-speaking Belgian region is continuing its collaboration with nine other countries, reports Nieuwsblad.

In recent years, international adoptions have not always been carried out with transparency, which has led the Flemish authorities to decide to subject all the countries of origin of the children to a thorough examination based on information obtained from UNICEF, the International Social Service (ISS) and Child Identity Protection (CHIP).

After an initial selection phase, the Flemish Adoption Center confirmed the collaboration with Portugal, Colombia and South Africa. The partnership with Vietnam has been suspended and Kazakhstan has been placed on orange, pending a site visit to gather additional information. It was during the second phase that Morocco, Haiti and Gambia were placed in the red.

"In the past, we have received many messages from adopted children, adoptive parents and adoption candidates indicating that collaboration with certain countries is particularly difficult," explained Bruno Vanobbergen, general manager of the Opgroeien agency. And he continued: "For example, it is difficult to obtain information on the origin of the children. At some point, you have to dare to make a decision..."