Campaign for Child Rights

Join The Campaign To Support Children's Rights and International Adoption

International Adoption is in crisis, with the numbers down significantly during each of the past four years. Yet there continue to be many millions of children in desperate need of nurturing homes, most of whom are now growing up in terribly inadequate institutions or on the street.

The reduction in the number of children finding homes in International Adoption is largely because of opposition by organizations and individuals alleging that they speak for the human rights of children. They call for restrictions on International Adoption that include: temporary and permanent moratoria on such adoption, preferences for in-country foster and institutional care over out-of-country adoption, “holding periods” that require searching for in-country homes for months or years before out-of-country placement is permitted, and the elimination of the private adoption intermediaries that often serve as the lifeblood of International Adoption. 

Our Campaign is designed to promote the human rights of children to grow up in nurturing homes. We believe that International Adoption generally serves the interests of children who cannot be raised by their birth parents far better than non-adoption alternatives like foster and institutional care. Help ensure that International Adoption is kept on the table as one of the options for unparented children worldwide.

Read our International Adoption Policy Statement and Supporting Report:

• International Adoption Policy Statement (1 page)
• Supporting Report (6 pages)

Endorsements:

• For the full list of individual and organizational endorsements, which will be updated regularly, click here.

Spanish Translation:

• For the Spanish translation of the International Adoption Policy Statement, Supporting Report, and endorsements, click here.

Join Our Campaign:

• Faculty Members and Related Legal Professionals Specializing in Child, Family, Civil Rights, and Human Rights Law, click here to endorse our statement.
• Law School Clinics and Programs Focusing on Child, Youth, Family, and Human Rights, click here to endorse our statement.

The ABA:

The ABA also supports International Adoption. Read their recommendation and supporting report:

• American Bar Association Recommendation on International Adoption, adopted by House of Delegates August 11, 2008, and Supporting Report