Swiss authorities address failures in international adoptions
Between 1970 and 1999, several thousand children probably came to Switzerland for adoption from abroad through child trafficking, forged documents, missing information on origin or other illegal practices.
KEYSTONE
Federal Councillor Beat Jans met with representatives of Swiss cantons on Friday to discuss the organisation on failures by the authorities in international adoptions between the 1970s and 1990s. Initial decisions are to be made at a strategy day in autumn 2024.
This content was published on
2 minutes
Keystone-SDA
The federal government wants to support the cantons in finding a solution, the Federal Department of Justice and Police (FDJP) announced. The responsibility to support those affected in their search for their ancestry lies with the cantons. The illegal international adoption has affected the lives of the people adopted to this day.
More
More
The Swiss illegally adopted thousands of children from abroad
This content was published on
Children from 10 countries were fraudulently adopted between the 1970s and 1990s. The Swiss authorities were aware of this.
In December 2023, a report by the Conference of Cantonal Justice and Police Directors (KKJPD) formulated concrete recommendations for pooling responsibilities and supporting those affected, as the FDJP wrote.
Today, international adoptions are processed according to clearly defined, internationally recognised standards. The Federal Council nevertheless sees a need for action and initiated a corresponding revision of adoption law in December last year, it added.
More
More
Illegal adoptions from Sri Lanka: ‘These wounds do not heal’
This content was published on
Strangers in their own country: a study shows for the first time the consequences for Sri Lankan children adopted in Switzerland.
Between 1970 and 1999, several thousand children probably came to Switzerland for adoption from abroad through child trafficking, forged documents, missing information on origin or other illegal practices. This was revealed in a report published by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) last December.
Translated from German by DeepL/amva
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Swiss Abroad
Heimatort, sweet Heimatort: the unique Swiss concept of home
As a Swiss Abroad, how do you feel about the emergence of more conservative family policies in some US states?
In recent years several US states have adopted more conservative policies on family issues, abortion and education. As a Swiss citizen living there, how do you view this development?
Is your place of origin, your Heimatort, important to you?
Every Swiss citizen has a Heimatort, a place of origin, but many have never visited theirs. What’s your relationship with your Heimatort? What does it mean to you?
This content was published on
French and Swiss armoured and artillery units will train together to strengthen the defence capabilities of the Swiss army.
Harmful substances in particulate matter underestimated: Swiss research
This content was published on
Measurements significantly underestimate the amount of harmful substances in particulate matter, says an international research team under Swiss leadership.
Switzerland reopens its humanitarian office in Kabul
This content was published on
Switzerland opened its humanitarian office in Kabul in mid-March to provide targeted aid to the Afghan population in distress.
This content was published on
From Wednesday, a Swiss passport will no longer be sufficient to enter the UK - Swiss travellers will also need an electronic travel authorisation.
This content was published on
A German security expert could imagine Swiss soldiers being part of a peacekeeping force in Ukraine after an eventual ceasefire.
Leading Swiss politician favours closer EU defence ties
This content was published on
Co-president of Swiss centre-left Social Democratic Party calls on Switzerland to step up security cooperation in Europe.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.