On April 9, 2010 an American adoptive mother from Tennessee, Tory Ann Hansen, sent Russian-born Artyom Savelyev to Moscow with a one-way ticket and a note relinquishing parental rights due to the child’s violent and psychopathic behavior. These events caused an uproar with the Russian government and a temporary suspension of U.S.-Russia adoptions until the U.S. government enters into a bilateral agreement to regulate the Intercountry adoption process. As of April 20, 2010 no official notification of a ban has been issued, although the adoption process has been delayed for many families. Andrei Nesterenko, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson, said that Intercountry adoption would “only be permitted within a framework of bilateral agreement with the United States.”[1] Such an agreement would set forth additional obligations of adoptive American parents to insure further transparency and support throughout the process, most likely with increased supervision by Russian Officials. In the case of failed adoptions, the problem could arise at a variety of stages due to inadequate evaluation and information regarding the child’s mental and or physical state, lack of preparatory training for the adoptive parents, poor screening of prospective families, and deficiencies in post-placement services.
An estimated 750,000 Russian children are currently housed in orphanages[2]. Throughout the history of Intercountry adoption with Russia over 50,000 children have found homes in the Unites States[3]. 1,600 Russian children adopted into the United States just last year[4]. It seems to all parties can agree that punishing these children, who are in need of homes, is not the answer. Instead governments should focus on restructuring the adoption process to better safeguard against similar tragedies in the future. Internationally adopted children have inherent special needs due to post-birth institutionalization. First, Russian Orphanages and international adoption agencies should provide more accurate reports of children’s conditions so that parents may seek professional advice and properly asses their willingness and capabilities to deal with those circumstances. Furthermore, home study reports should be more thorough in order to ensure that parents are properly equipped to deal with the demands of the child. Post-adoption services, including post-placement visits, translators, educational guidance, respite care and telephone hotlines should be made available, and in certain situations, mandatory for adoptive parents. A case of individual abuse or maltreatment should not cause Intercountry adoption to shut down; rather it should provide a framework for the protection of children and families suffering similar issues.
A delegation from The Unites States Department of State is scheduled to visit Russia on April 29, 2010, led by Ambassador Michael Kilroy. Thus far Russian-U.S. adoption is not suspended as long as the U.S. plans to enter into the bilateral agreement. Mr. Astakhov, a Russian legal official has stated “Adoptions will continue. We only want guarantees for the lives and the safety of our children abroad. Because we are giving to American families the most precious thing for us: our children.”[5]
[1] Russia Halts U.S. Adoptions After Boy Sent Home (New York Times)
[2] Russia Seeks Ways to Keep Its Children (New York Times)
[3] U.S. Department of State Intercountry Adoption