Childless couples prefer girls over boys for adoption

Bhubaneswar: According to reports published on Sunday, childless couples in Odisha appear to be more interested in adopting girls at a time when the proportion of girls to boys is dropping in numerous states.

The data on child adoption over the previous five years reflected this (2017 to 2021). According to the data, 869 children from Odisha have been adopted by families both inside and outside the state as well as from other nations.

During that time, Indian and foreign couples adopted as many as 581 female children from Odisha, but only 288 male children were adopted, which is less than half the number of female children.\

Of the 869 children, 165 were adopted by foreigners between 2017 and 2021, while 704 were adopted by couples in India.

Foreign couples also adopted more girls (119) than boys (46) from 17 districts, while Indian couples adopted 462 girls and 242 boys from 24 of the 30 districts in Odisha.

The Sundargarh district, which is largely populated by indigenous people, has had the most adoptions, with 119 kids. Keonjhar, Cuttack, and Khurda are three additional districts that are generating a high number of adoptions.

"Our society is still skewed against women. Because he might assist them in their old age, parents prefer a boy child over a girl, according to social activist Namrata Chadha, quoted by IANS.

It has been observed that individuals frequently leave the girl child in the trash or on the side of the road because they want a boy. These girls have been adopted by single parents and placed in daycare centres. According to Chadha, this is why there are more adopted girls.

Both male and female youngsters are being adopted, according to a senior official with the State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA). He added that a few parents have come forward to adopt children with severe needs, but potential adoptive families are more interested in adopting a female than a male.

Children from Odisha have been adopted by both foreign Indians and non-resident Indians. According to the news agency, people from the US, Canada, France, Italy, Spain, and the UK have essentially adopted these kids from the state.

Speaking about the protection of adopted children, especially females, the official noted that clear guidelines about adoption eligibility requirements exist, such as the prohibition against a single male adopting a girl kid.

The state and federal governments of India have established a suitable system for keeping track of adopted children. Additionally, he said, Indian embassies and international adoption agencies are overseeing the adoption process and keeping tabs on the kids abroad.