Opportunities and Prospects of Domestic Adoption and Alternative Child Care Services: The Case of Kibebe Tsehay Orphanage Center, Addis Ababa.
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Date
2021-08
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Addis ababa university
Abstract
Ethiopia was one of the leading countries in terms of sending children for adoption abroad next to China. However, the country banned inter-country adoption by formulating the new child adoption proclamation since February 2018. This research aims to examine opportunities and prospects of domestic adoption and alternative child care services taking Kibebe Tsehay Orphanage Center as a case. The study used qualitative research methods of in-depth interviews, key informant interviews, and focus group discussion and analyzed the data thematically.
The results showed that compared to inter-country adoption, domestic adoption has a number of advantages which includes better psychological well-being of adopted children, they are also safe from identity crisis, children are secured from any danger because in domestic adoption there are sociologists and social workers who constantly visit children‟s condition after they are given for adoption. On the other hand, the government is playing an active role to promote domestic adoption by encouraging high-profile government officials including Prime Minister Dr. Abiy Ahmed and Ambassador Fitsum Arega to adopt children from Kibebe Tsehay Orphanage Center. Alternative child care services are also playing a role in putting children; whereas, in inter-country adoption, children were sold like “commodities”. The study also disclosed that domestic adoption has different challenges, one is adoptive parents are so selective of children‟s age and gender. The other major challenge is that OVC with health problems cannot get adoptive parents in domestic adoption. Finally, this study suggests that to improve the practice of domestic adoption the media can play a role in promoting the practice of domestic adoption as a blessing activity and social responsibility.
Key words: domestic adoption, OVC, inter-country adoption, adoptive parents
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Keywords
domestic adoption, OVC, inter-country adoption, adoptive parents