Million subsidy for adopted children to track down family

Source: https://nos.nl/nieuwsuur    Google Translation from Dutch

Dutch adoptees will receive a financial contribution of 1.2 million euros to trace biological families. This becomes apparent from a letter from the Ministry of Justice to adoptee interest groups, which is in the hands of Nieuwsuur. For years they have been asking for money to carry out searches the countries where the adoptees come from.

It was announced earlier this year that a subsidy would become available. The amount will be spread over 2020 and 2021, according to the letter. Whether the contribution will become structural in the long term is as yet unclear. Despite repeated requests from Nieuwsuur, the Ministry of Justice refuses to give an explanation.

In recent years, many dozens of adopted people have started looking for their families. Files often prove to be incorrect, which makes searches considerably more difficult. We repeatedly paid attention to these searches.

FIOM, an organisation that also deals with adioption issues, will identify what the adoptees’ interest groups in specific countries of origin can do to help find biological families. The Ministry of Justice decides where the subsidy goes, FIOM confirms.

Critical on FIOM role
Although the adoptees are happy with the granting of a subsidy for searches, they are also critical of the cooperation with FIOM. “This is the Dutch branch of International Social Services (ISS), which are involved in adoptions themselves,” says Chamila Seppenwoolde of United Adoptees International (UAI). In a response to the letter of Justice, UAI writes that “there can be no question of providing any information to FIOM/ISS”.

The question therefore is to what extent the interest groups are willing to share their information with FIOM and whether the subsidy scheme can actually be implemented.

The UAI, Mijn Roots, Shapla Foundation and Plan Angel interest groups are asking the Ministry of Justice to reconsider the role of FIOM. Against Child Trafficking (ACT) calls the cooperation with FIOM unacceptable. “FIOM / ISS is involved in participating in the corrupt adoption system, it cannot be that they are appointed as coordinators,” responds Arun Dohle.

Truus Groot from FIOM says in a response that FIOM uses the ISS network. “Some organizations in it have indeed dealt with adoptions, that’s right. But it is forgotten that they have also made sure that there was more regulation in the area of adoption. I understand that criticism, but I think we can work better together”

The Ministry of Justice says that the subsidy scheme will be announced next week in a letter to the House of Representatives in the run-up to a general consultation.