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Critiques of Transracial Adoption between the United States and Africa

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United States citizens in recent years, have had an increase in interest of the adoption of African children. Before the 1980's international adoption was not very favorable to United States citizens, especially with African children. After an increase in positive international relations between the two countries, there is a noticeable difference, "According to NCFA data, there were 10,019 foreign adoptions in calendar year 1986, accounting for 16.4% of all unrelated adoptions occurring in that year." (Stolley 1993). While both international adoption and African adoption rates have been on the rise, we see the biggest increase in African adoption due to the leniency of the restrictions and protocols. "The resulting scale places the top African countries of origin of children adopted into U.S. families, Ethiopia and Liberia among the least restrictive countries. Two other countries scored similarly on the restrictiveness scale: Guinea-Bissau and Swaziland." (Breuning 2009). Scholars expect to see an upward trend of American citizens adopting African children as requirements decrease, and general adoption rates increase.

But as the adoption rates of African children by white American families increase, we see the issues of transracial adoption occur more frequently. The United States Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families and the National Council For Adoption recorded that in 2020 there were 92,237 black children in foster care and 9,588 adopted black children by white families, a large percentage of those being of direct African descent. The National Association of Black Social Workers has critiqued the efficiency of transracial adoption. The NABSW (National Association of Black Social Workers) has concluded that, because of the historical relations between the two races, that whit parents cannot adequately prepare their adopted children for how society treats people of color. The American Adoption Association has also critiqued issues conncuring of those of the NABSW. They state that transracial adoption has a lack of diversity, that transracial adoptees face racism notably from their adoptive families, adoptees lack connection to their birth cultures, and adoptees struggle with their racial and cultural self-identities. Through both critiques we can notice that transracial adoption, especially when international can be controversial. While each critique is made with the certainty that each child should be adopted, and that transnational adoption does not and is not always a negative commodity, they are providing reoccurent issues that happen frequently with transracial adoption.