Insurgency, Divorce Adding Orphans in Northeast India

Agartala, Jul 26 : Insurgency and fast mechanized life leading to divorce have been identified as the prime causes adding to the number of orphans in India's trouble-torn northeastern region.

This was divulged during a two day awareness workshop 'Adoption and Non-Institutional Care for Children' that concluded here Saturday.

"Insurgency is one of the main facts (cause) that is making children orphan or single parents," said Anamika Das, coordinator for Indian Council for Child Welfare.

Das, who came from Assam as resource person in the workshop added, "The rate of prospective adoptive parents is increasing and so Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) has made some adoption centers so that people can easily and systematically adopt child, moreover these centres shall also help to stop child trafficking. Under the ICPS (integrated child protection scheme) in every district there shall be adoption centre or specialized adoption agencies (SAA)."

The department of the Social Welfare and Social Education of Tripura with sponsorship from CARA, an autonomous body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development organized the workshop.

Different adoption agencies, NGO's and government organization working with orphans participated and exchanged their views on the existing child adoption policies and its advantages and disadvantages.

Dr Dilip Das, a renowned gynecologist, viewed that at present with the easy availability of abortive medicines, cases of leftover children has reasonable come down.

However Dr Das intimidated that, "A new type of problem has come mainly due to the process of modernization and industrialization where both the family members are working and with the increasing number of divorce cases the children are the worst sufferer and often find themselves in orphanages."

The primary aim of the workshop was to sensitize different organizations and SAA about the existing rules of adoption and the ICPS which has be recently floated by the central government for easy
children repatriated from failed adoptions.

India which has one of the highest numbers of destitute child; often do not find suitable families for the children mainly due the licensed adoption agency or orphanage's ignorance on legal matters related to
child adoption.

Prospective adoptive foreign nationals and surrogate parents who want to adopt children from India frequently have to wait for long period and fight legal battles before they get custody of the child.

Recently a film, 'The Waiting City' was released based on the story of an Australian couple, wanting to adopt an Indian child. However, the delay in the process leads to complications in their relationship.