Social and economic inequalities are leading Jharkhand towards becoming a hub of illegal child adoptions.
Gumla, Simdega, Singhbhum and Palamau are among areas in the coal belt that are prone to this menace. Incidentally, these places have also been nerve centres for women trafficking and Naxal movements.
The Pioneer has come across some startling facts that suggest children orphaned by this conflict are falling prey to unregistered agencies that supply them — or shockingly, even their organs — in India and abroad.
“We have child victims of the Naxal-police conflict and cases of where the mother joining the rebels. Children become most vulnerable in such a scenario. If they are fortunate, they land at registered adoption agencies. Otherwise, many undercover agencies are doing business out of it,” said an official of a specialised adoption agency at Khunti.
Jharkhand has merely five specialised adoption agencies, recognised by the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) run under the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
Meanwhile, an adoption centre in the area claims that 80 per cent children coming to it were surrendered by mothers who had returned from big cities after being trafficked as domestic help.
“Surrendered and abandoned children are the largest in number. Children from Naxal-hit areas such as Murhu and Bandgaon of Khunti come to us but there are vast areas that remain out of reach for us,” said an official from Sooch Village Miracle Foundation.
The foundation has, since inception in 2011, facilitated adoption of 96 children nationally and after being licensed recently for international adoptions, it has four applications pending.
Dr Nirmal of Sarwangin Gram Vikash Sansthan of Murhu blamed the attitude of the society towards ‘illegal’ children.
He said, “No one blames men. When a trafficked woman comes with a child, there are only us who come forward to rehabilitate it. Most women get physically exploited. We get mongoloid children here!”
So far, 14 children have been adopted form his ‘Keshav Madhav Bal Ashram’ since 2006.
Activists said a handful of such “unwanted” children are fished out by illegally mushrooming agencies. “They indulge in organ trade as they are not regulated by the Government,” said an official working closely with State Commission of Protection of Child Rights.
Demand for adoption can be gauged by the waiting list with Sarwangeen Gram Vikash Sansthan, which is 85.
The official said, “Interested parties will be invited by this month and centres will be functional by the end of this year. We are stressing more on in-family adoptions so children are less affected by stress of the transition process.”
The welfare department keeps a tab on adoption agencies, but only those that are registered. It just gathers feedback on whether guidelines are being followed. This lacuna remains to be addressed.