Stockholm - The Swedish government is set to halt an
adoption programme with Vietnam over fears of irregularities, reports
said Wednesday.
The pending cabinet decision, due Thursday, is based on
evaluations that suggest that biological parents were not always
aware their children were put up for adoption and were sometimes
offered cash for their children.
Health and Social Affairs Minister Goran Hagglund told Swedish
radio news that there were 'disturbing signals' that not all
adoptions from Vietnam were permissible.
The current agreement with Vietnam is due to expire in the autumn
of 2009.
Hagglund said there were no signs that Vietnam was willing to
admit to the problems.
In September, the United States suspended adoptions from Vietnam
over similar concerns.
The Swedish adoption agency Adoptionscentrum, which has handled
thousands of international adoptions since 1969, said the decision
was a 'severe blow' to families waiting to adopt.
Each year, Adoptionscentrum handles some 400 adoptions from some
20 countries. Vietnam accounts for about 50 cases a year and, unlike
some other countries, allows single parents to adopt. It has also
refrained from implementing an age limit for prospective parents.
Jan Goransson, chairman of the agency, said the Swedish government
should have tried to enter into dialogue with Vietnam over the
concerns.
USA
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