One more aspect to perhaps consider...how about changes to infant abandonment laws? That people could legally place a baby for adoption without repercussions? Is this concept realistic in African countries that do allow international adoption? What does this present in terms of confidentiality issues surrounding health and identity and crisis pregnancy? Is this approach possible in countries that do not offer much in the way of women's rights?

Hello S, Thanks for compelling me to read up on infant abandonment laws, as I wasn't really familiar with them. To be honest, I am not sure these kinds of laws are necessary in most African contexts as child abandonment just doesn't happen often on purpose. In war-torn countries, families get separated and then, during post-conflict times, agencies and NGOs spring up to reunite families and children.

Generally, if someone doesn't want or can't take care of their child, they give it to an extended family member. The last resort is to an orphanage. Excepting in some of the larger and more westernized cities like Nairobi, Johanesburg and Lagos, I have not ever seen (or maybe noticed) many reports of children being abandoned. Even in the cities, there are so few they always get media attention.

Having said that, the issues surrounding child abandonment laws in the states also are not so relevant in Africa: people are not so judgmental about giving a child to someone because as mentioned in previous blogs, there just isn't such a sense of ownership. Subsequently, there is also no sense of disownership.

If a child is born to you, it's yours, but it is also part of the bigger family and community so it is theirs, too. And EVERYONE is just trying to keep surviving and get by on what they have and feed all the mouths waiting to be fed... they keep saying "what's one more?" until there absolutely isn't enough for one more.

Issues like confidentiality and health, etc aren't issues either. Confidentiality? Not a very big deal in Africa and the population is not screaming for more of it. Doctors will sit at the front of a line of 100+ people and examine them for the basics right then and there, with a nurse standing by to hand out medication as necessary. There is no whispering or hushed voices, no hiding. Everyone is in the same boat, so there isn't even much embarrasment. In the case of AIDS, many doctors, since there isn't much confidentiality but there is a huge stigmatism attached to AIDS, will diagnose the sympotoms (ie pneumonia) rather than the disease officially. The symptom or side effect will even be noted as "cause of death" when the time comes.

Medical histories: almost nobody has any concept of this. Papers are given by doctors with a few scratches about what is wrong with the person if they are sick and what medicine they should get, but records kept by hospitals and/or clinics are very rare throughout the continent, and even that usually in the most expensive and elite private clinics.

For that matter, people may not have access to the same doctor more than once. They may NEVER have access to a doctor, but rather only to a medical aid as those who work in most hospitals around Africa most usually are.

While we look at African countries as having no rights for women, the fact here is that there are many things that we women have to fight for in America that in Africa women wouldn't have to fight for because it is just the way it is. Aren't abandonment laws necessary because women don't have the right in our culture to just give their baby to someone else if they can't take care of them? In Africa, women can and do so constantly. What could be called "informal open adoption" happens daily, without in most cases conflict or confusion or, according to my experiences, resentment.

Just a completely different world that makes sense and offers many benefits in what it is. It is, in some ways, so traditional it can now be considered modern on many levels... the only time it doesn't make sense is when we try to transplant our problems into their world... which happens a lot...

Thank you so much for bringing up the topic... and helping me to learn something new today...

Thanks for your response, Jupe. I'm now left with more questions, though. What does your research mean for those of us who have adopted an infant who was "abandoned"? (In our case, from Ethiopia.)

We have researched our baby's past as well, and the evidence that we have obtained, and this has been confirmed through quite a few separate sources, shows that he was indeed abandoned and in very rough shape. Of course, there are many adoptive families out there with babies with similar stories.

My question is this: if infant abandonment is not occuring, is something else going on that we are not being told about? There was certainly a nursery full of abandoned babies in the orphanage when we were there to pick up our son. And though they were "healthy" - they really weren't very healthy at all. I say this because I have noticed a tendency of some to "romanticize" how "wonderful" the orphanages are...maybe in general orphanage terms...but no, the babies all needed more and the kids were desperate for attention and hope.

Also, it is my understanding that Ethiopia has a law that prohibits the placement of a baby for adoption by birthparents unless the mother or father has HIV. This is where I began to wonder about confidentiality issues - many of the babies are HIV+ then seroconvert and so are referred to families abroad. So obviously they have been impacted by AIDS, yet still have been abandoned. I'm assuming that this is because of the stigma & confidentiality issues surrounding the disease?

Is Ethiopia, then, an exception with regards to its laws as compared to other African nations?

Sorry to drag this on. I'm just really interested in your findings and trying to understand the issues as thoroughly as possible. There are so many layers in adoption...the more I think I know, the less I know, it seems!

Hi S, I'm sorry it has taken me a couple of days to get back to you... internet connection blues...

At any rate, I hope I can help to work through some of your questions, but first let me say that most of my focus and research throughout Africa has not been through the adoption lense and so there are gaps in what I can share with you that will be helpful and/or insightful...

It's the definition of "abandonment" that gets me stuck in context. A girl leaves her baby at an orphanage or gives her child to her aunt to take care of: are these cases of abandonment in the same way as leaving a child in a dumpster or on a street corner is?

You refer to children who have been placed for adoption by HIV positive parents as being abandoned. Strictly speaking, that is not the case as placing/relinquishing and abandoning, even in our context, is different.

It is my understanding that abandonment is when a child is deserted without being placed in someone else'e care (ie family member, orphanage, authority, etc.) or being placing temporarily in someone's care with the intention of it being permanent without mutual agreement by the party in whose care the child has been given.

By this definition, true abandonment does not happen relatively often throughout Africa, including Ethiopia. I would suspect, however, that even those in charge of orphanages would be quite keen to use the word “abandoned” as they know it would put potential adopting parents’ minds at ease.

Yes, each country in Africa is in a different situation and would have a different level of abandonment cases. War, drought and AIDS levels surely impact the figure as do social taboos (pre-marital sex/pregnanacy especially for Muslims, HIV/AIDS, inter-tribal relationships, to name a few.)

In Ethiopia, you have all of the above, as well as there being a high level of prostitution in Addis. Ethiopia is also the most "open" society in the region (Sudan, Eritrea, Somalia all being conservative Muslim countries) which attracts quite a number of girls "in trouble" to go to Ethiopia to have their children... while I only know for sure of a few girls (Sudanese) that then left their children at orphanages before returning to their home countries, I am quite certain there are many who do this and still others who may just abandon their babies wherever they can out of desperation.

With regard to the laws themselves for each country, I am definitely not the person to ask, though I am sure some of the folks on the International Adoption Blog, like Sandra Hanks Benoition, can probably give great information or on the Ethiopia blog for more specific info. I'm only good for current context and historical background in general.

I know what you mean about the orphanages and state of the orphans not being great. Again, it is especially noticable in comparison to orphanages in the States, but locally, while the conditions may seem bad they are often relatively better than those for the children of the orphanage caretakers themselves.

With regard to the orphans desperately needing attention and hope, we have the same problem in the States, rather it be in orphanages, foster homes or even highly dysfunctional families. As I’ve said before, Africa and her issues are stark and raw: no glossy toys and bright colored paint to cover them up.

As an aside, this question of standards for local orphanages, especially compared to those internationally funded, is a big issue.

For example, S.O.S. Children's Villages (it's an International NGO operating throughout Africa) makes very western standard accommodation and lifestyles for the children in their care. The orphans have a much better life than any other children in the area with parents or not. The problem is that when the children are supposed to leave at 18, they are completely incapable of living in the "normal" conditions as they are so used to a more "posh" lifestyle (you would be surprised how little it takes to make things "posh" when everything around is simple.)

Often, children refuse to leave at 18 and it becomes a very difficult to make room for the younger children coming in.

Yet another example of culture-collide.

S, I hope some of this helps to answer some of your questions.

As always, thanks for reading...