Made in Odisha. That’s the tag many children carry while being readied for ‘sale’ at some of the adoption centres in Tamil Nadu. These adoption centres procure the children from NGO homes in Odisha, through their agents there, and sell the babies for around Rs 1 lakh in Tamil Nadu. The foster families pay and carry the baby home with all the necessary documents instead of waiting in queue and follow the stringent rules of government agencies.
While the government agencies struggle to provide children to needy couples within a year, many private agencies are ready to send children to couples with legal documents within a month.
DC ‘placed an order' for a one-year-old child and caught broker `S' on camera demanding Rs 1.25 lakh for a fair girl child from Odisha. “Senior officers in Chennai corporation, Airports Authority of India, a quarry owner in Pallavaram have all been my clients. I will help you get the child within a month. The process will be simple once you get the money ready,“ the agent assured DC. “I am bringing the 53rd child to Tamil Nadu next week,” he boasts.
The state social welfare officials say that they have to depend on the 385 block development officers to inform childless couples about adoption. “We do not have any enforcement machinery to check illegal adoption,” they said. They said the State Adoption Resources Agency has been recently formed to oversee the adoption process.
The delay in providing children to couples and not publicising the adoption process are the major drawbacks that push childless couples into the trap of these illegal agents, says child rights activist A.
Devaneyan.
Social welfare minister B. Valarmathi said she would immediately take stringent action against illegal agents. “Our government is particular about child welfare. We will make sure illegal agents are punished. We will conduct awareness campaigns to inform childless couples to approach the government agencies and adopt children without paying the brokers,” she told DC.
`Made in Odisha' kids for sale in TN Adoption centres procure the children from NGO homes in Odisha, through their agents there Many private agencies are ready to send children to couples with legal documents within a month Delay in providing children to couples is a major problem that push couples into agents' trap TN social welfare minister B. Valarmathi said she would take stringent action against illegal agents