Indian parents prefer ‘normal’ to ‘special’ when it comes to adoption

Three-year-old Hansika is fast asleep in the lap of her caretaker. Brought to Prema Vasam from Delhi last August, Hansika, who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at birth, has been undergoing occupational therapy and physiotherapy here. 

She is among the 133 special children – most of them suffering from cerebral palsy and awaiting a home in vain, explains Selvyn Roy, clinical psychologist and administrator, at the home for mentally and physically challenged children.  

Most children at the home are orphans, surrendered or abandoned, who come through Child Welfare Committee or the Social Welfare Department, says Mumtaj VA, coordinator, Prema Vasam, “Even their biological parents hardly pay a visit, restricting it to special days like birthdays.” Making the adoption process fully online has even added more difficulties. 

“Earlier, social workers could discuss and convince parents to adopt special children, but now that is not possible,” she adds. According to figures from the Tamil Nadu Social Defence Department, between April 2016 and March 2017, only 18 special children were adopted in the state by adoptive parents from the USA, Italy, UAE and Finland, while there was a total of 206 adoptions in the state. 

Social workers and officials say that nearly half the pool of children up for adoption suffer from disabilities. Officials explain that the special children are favoured only in inter-country adoptions. 

“The facilities for special children are also better abroad. They do not discriminate between their own and the adopted. However, in India the bond is greater among families and therefore most parents prefer biological ones, followed by normal adopted children. 

At times, special children are not even the last option,” said an official. Thomas A, a social worker, says that the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has come forward to give Indian parents the choice to adopt special children with minor disabilities like hearing impairment. “They are in the online pool for 10-15 days for Indian parents to come forward before moving them on to the inter-country list,” he says. 

Zaheeruddin Mohamad, member, CWC, Kancheepuram District, says the lack of knowledge about disabilities makes such instances a rarity. “We have seen a well-educated couple abandoning their own special child. The child didn’t survive for long after being sent to a home for special children. Many don’t understand disabilities, and others lack the will or patience to understand it.” 

Despite the number of adoptive parents outnumbering the children available for adoption, special children are left out of the pool, points out an official at the Department of Social Defence.