Call for support for international adoption search — Pune, India

With all that is in the news about the lack of support for international adoptees in their search process, it was heartening to read this article calling for more awareness and support for children adopted from the Pune region in India.

The road is certainly difficult.  Sunanda Mehta explains that many international adoptees come from this region, and have come up against the same kinds of difficulties that other international adoptees have found int he search process.

For a large number of them, the destination is Pune and/or other cities of Maharashtra that have traditionally been adoption hubs of the country. Adoption centres like to promote happy stories of reunions that warm the cockles of the heart of all readers. But between the lines is another story that often remains untold. Of the innumerable hurdles and problems that beset such endeavours. Problems, that unlike the emotional toll, could have been avoided or at least lessened.

Two reunion stories are told in brief, made possible in part by a law that goes part of the distance to make search and reunion easier, but not far enough.  As the author argues,

…we need to adopt a more sensitive approach to the other side of the spectrum – extend every possible bureaucratic, financial and emotional assistance to those who decide to travel from halfway round the world to India to look for their roots – and through that their mental peace.

The landscape of search and reunion has changed so much with the internet, the advent of DNA searches, and what seems like a growing awareness of the importance for all people, the basic human right, of knowing who you are and where you come from. And yet to search internationally adds daunting obstacles.

Here at home, adoptees can share information and support, as all of us learn how to facilitate this process better.  And if you are searching and feel you could use some additional support, therapy or counseling can help.

To learn more about my practice and how I work with adoptees in the search and reunion journey, click here, or browse other articles in my blog.  If you are New York state and want a consultation, feel free to be in touch through the contact me form on my website or by calling 347-620-2181.