Adoption Corruption: Who is the Big Bad Wolf

Many friends and loved ones are anxiously awaiting the return of the Vietnam adoption program. I admit that I, too, sometimes let myself dream of adding to our family one more time. While I’m not in an ideal place to grow my family immediately, I know many others including members of our VVAI team have been waiting patiently for years. I remember that wait. It was so so SO hard. Often the wait comes after other waits that ended in disappointment.  Some feel so called to adopt from Vietnam and ONLY Vietnam that any other option isn’t an option at all (I believe I fell into that camp back in 2002).

So it is with sadness that, after hopeful anticipation grew when first the Hague was signed and then an adoption date for the Hague was set in Vietnam,  we learn that Vietnam is still not properly equipped to handle international adoptions without a heightened risk of corruption.

Some will question whether the Department of State is overstepping by withholding international adoption as an option when the Hague itself has determined that Vietnam is compliant.  We only need to consider the alternative and look to the past to understand why this is in the best interest of US citizens. As difficult as it is to want a child and not have a clear path to that child, it is infinitely more difficult to have the referral for a child who is legally out of reach when the legal path to a family is obstructed mid-process. Just ask the Bac Lieu 16 families.  Or any of the 900 families mid-process when Guatemala ”“ also a Hague signatory ”“ was deemed non-compliant and swiftly halted.

We here at VVAI have long been accused of being government apologists ”“ refusing to believe that our government might be wrong or may have mis-stepped at any point, quick to come to their defense or play devil’s advocate.  This is not and has never been an accurate portrayal of our VVAI team. We span every political party and both ends of the political spectrum and areas in between. We are as politically diverse a group as you will ever find and yet we come together with a solitary belief that corruption in Vietnam is a multifaceted issue where the government often plays the messenger that PAPs are happy to shoot because the alternative hits too close to home or is too difficult to consider.  We have seen the many facets of corruption ”“ most of us first hand ”“ and we don’t want to see another child hurt or another family’s dreams crushed and finances drained because of a problem that is complex and absolutely does not have one singular bad guy to blame.

So we try to portray a more balanced view of the problem in an adoption culture that swings far in the direction of government blame. We believe, based on history and personal experience as well as the shared experiences of hundreds of adoptive families that until US PAPs truly understand the complexity of this issue the problem will continue to repeat itself. Despite the Department of State and despite the Hague. And as long as we are singularly focused on blaming the US government for standing in the way of us and our dream of parenthood, we are part of the problem ”“ not the solution!

So who is the big bad wolf if it’s not the US government? Again this is complex. There is not one single bad guy responsible for worldwide adoption corruption!  But there are many responsible parties including:

• Agencies. Sometimes the international players hired, contracted or otherwise acting on behalf of an agency are directly or indirectly contributing to the very corruption you wish to avoid. Sometimes US agencies, themselves, are very well aware of this corruption and believe that the end justifies the means. Sometimes agencies keep an intentional wall between themselves and their international “team so as to avoid knowing about the misconduct or corruption that they understand to be happening ”“ in this way, they can avoid direct accountability. A very few agencies vet their team and keep their programs small or close to the vest so they can stay accountable. Some agencies have a different world view about orphans and don’t see the solution as singularly American and are less likely to fall victim to the corruption associated with international adoption as they pursue multiple routes to end orphan status.
• Countries & cultures: countries with governments different than our own may not be ideally set up to properly uphold the checks and balances necessary to ensure both Hague compliance and ethical adoptions internationally (or domestically!). Sometimes this is a cultural issue in countries where bribes are deeply entrenched in business and politics or children are seen as less valuable humans. These are complex issues that Americans sometimes fall into the trap of misunderstanding or oversimplifying. Signing the Hague does not change hundreds of years of cultural business practice in a country!  The change we need takes many years ”“ possibly decades ”“ and in some cases we will not see this type of change in our lifetimes.
• Ourselves. How could I accuse a PAP of being his own worst enemy? Because our hearts and minds are often in conflict. We, as humans, are brilliant at justifying and convincing ourselves and those around us of the importance and necessity of whatever quick and easy solution will bring an end to our pain or desire. We simplify, demonize the easiest target and refuse to look at the entire picture, sometimes, lest that lead us to more difficult and time-consuming (and often financially prohibitive) choices. Like some agencies ”“ we might keep an intellectual wall between reality and our dream so we don’t have to battle the tough choices or face the guilt that fulfilling our own dream, at this time in this program, might be at the detriment to the child we adopt or the entire program’s stability. It’s a typical case of “Well corruption may exist but surely MY adoption won’t be affected. When you are a person deeply desiring a family and this seems like the only path it becomes very easy to believe the simplified version of adoption that some agencies and other PAPs feed us in an attempt to assuage any doubts and keep the dream alive.

So while our dreams might be on hold and our families are not growing while time ticks on, it is our contention at VVAI that the single most proactive and productive way to advocate for adoption in Vietnam is to educate ourselves and each other about this multifaceted issue, to steer clear of blaming a single force and to understand the power we hold in our hands through our own choices. While it may feel counter-intuitive or even counterproductive to work toward a system that favors domestic adoption in Vietnam and requires heightened restrictions on both the US and VN side for those pursuing international adoption, it becomes in actuality the only true clear path to an ethical program that protects children and families alike and ensures that there will, in fact, be an international adoption program in Vietnam again someday.