The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) puts the figure of orphans in India at 3.1 crores, of which many are those abandoned.
Lohardaga:
Monika Gunjan Arya, who is with Palona, an organisation that works with abandoned children, disclosed, “We get to know of 500 to 600 children below the age of one year being abandoned every year. This number can run into thousands, as many cases are not reported. There are many states where no such data is furnished. These children are found on roads, bushes and even in hospitals.”
She said that at times these children also die, and there is a question about their future if there is no timely legal and social intervention. The instance of dumping of a newborn child in Lohardaga in Jharkhand has once again brought the issue of tedious adoption process to the centre stage. Many questions are commonplace when it comes to the adoption of orphans or abandoned children.
On May 29, Seema Kujur of Manhon village was returning along with her husband from Kudu village when she heard the wail of a child from a hedge. Stopping her vehicle, she came across a newborn baby drenched in blood. She took the baby home and, after giving first aid, took the baby to Sadat Hospital, where the authorities informed the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), whose members took the child into custody and asked Seema to proceed with the legal process in case she wanted to adopt the child.
Seema believes herself to be the ‘moral mother’ of the child, as she was the one to save the girl. She has been approaching political representatives as well as administrative officers to request custody, but has been told to follow the standard waiting list process.
The National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) in its 2022 report mentions crimes against children that include abandonment, trafficking and missing children, but there is no accurate mention of annual figures about the abandoned children.
However, details shared by the Women and Child Development Ministry in the Rajya Sabha refer to the CARINGS (Child Adoption Resource Information & Guidance System) portal that puts the figure of abandoned, orphan and unclaimed children at 5,633 for 2022-23. This is 25 percent more than the 4,521 figure for 2020-21. This figure is provided by the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), while the real figure may be higher.
The previous NCRB reports said that more than 3,500 children had been abandoned between 2011 and 2017. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) puts the figure of orphans in India at 3.1 crores, of which many are those abandoned.
The adoption process:
The child is then produced before the CWC within 24 hours, which places the child into the category of orphan, abandoned and unclaimed. It tries to locate the parents of the child within two to four months. The child is declared legally free for adoption in case the parents are not found during this period.
“The process of adoption of abandoned orphans is pretty long and tedious. According to the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, a person cannot directly take custody of an abandoned child. The child has to be handed over to the Police or District Child Protection Unit (DCPU),” said Kunti Sahu, who is the Chairman of CWC at Lohardaga.
The child is then listed for adoption on the CARA website, where the entire process is transparent. The process of adoption is governed by the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act (HAMA), 1956 and the Juvenile Justice Act, 1915.
Couples interested in adopting a child have to register themselves on the www.cara.wcd.gov.in website by furnishing their Aadhar card, PAN card, passport size photographs, marriage certificate, income certificate, medical fitness certificate, birth certificate, along with the assent of two witnesses.The couples are then shown profiles of children on the basis of their preference for age, gender and health. They have to reserve a child within 48 hours.
A court order, along with a registered deed of adoption executed by the District Magistrate, is mandatory for the exercise. The entire process costs Rs 64,000, of which Rs 6,000 are for home study, followed by Rs 50,000 at the time of adoption and another Rs 8,000 for home study again.
CARA monitors the well-being of the child for some time after the adoption.
Monika pointed out, “People are not aware of the adoption process, which makes it a complex exercise. At times, they resort to illegal shortcuts that can even translate into child theft.”She added that any couple uninterested in keeping a child can surrender the baby to CWC, DCPU or any specialised adoption agency recognised by CARA. Palona is also working in some states.
She said that emphasis needs to be laid on making people aware of the entire adoption process. She said that her organisation has approached the government on the issue, but has not received any response till now.
In 2024, the government streamlined the adoption process for single parents that include unmarried, widowed or separated persons. While single women can adopt either a girl or a boy, a single man can only adopt a boy. The process of adoption remains the same for both.The lack of awareness and the emotional toll on this count are visible in people like Seema in small towns like Lohardaga.
Experts believe that steps should be taken to bring about a change in the scenario. To begin with, trained officials need to be deputed at district levels to expedite the adoption process, and people need to be made aware of the legal process and the CARA website. There is also a need to keep a watch on the abandoned children to prevent child trafficking. In addition to this, specialised adoption agencies should have a presence in towns like Lohardaga.
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