Receiving Countries

Finland has not yet initiated an inquiry into past irregularities of intercountry adoptions, although conversations on the matter are ongoing. In 2022, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM) announced a joint study with the National Child Strategy. The National Child Strategy is the overarching national policy framework for children and young people in Finland. The mandate was to survey other countries’ adoptions investigations (Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and Denmark) and consider issues relevant to Finland.  The report included only a brief historical overview of Finland’s own intercountry adoptions, which began in the 1970s. It concluded that Finland’s regulatory system has been relatively strict and that the number of adoptions carried out has been considerably smaller than in other countries. However, officials stated that potential risks of abuses during adoption procedures cannot be completely ruled out.^[1]

Following the publication of reports from other countries, particularly Sweden’s investigation and results, Finnish officials began advocating for the need of a similar investigation to be carried out in Finland. As of 2025, launching such a commission would require a political decision, which according to the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health (STM), has not yet been made.^[2]

However, Save the Children Finland (one of the two organisations authorised to provide intercountry adoption services) announced in a press release that it would cease accepting new clients for intercountry adoption starting from January 2025. The organisation stated that the decision was attributed to declining demand, rather than from supervisory measures in Finland. It communicated that intercountry adoptions would be allowed to continue through the national adoption system in place, and most significantly through Interpedia, an NGO founded in 1974, which is the primary Finnish intercountry adoption service provider authorised by the country.^[3]

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^[1] Raiha Kantomaa, ‘MTV:n tiedot: Suomessa selvityksessä joitain epäselviä kansainvälisiä adoptiotapauksia’ (MTV Uutiset, 4 June 2025) <https://www.mtvuutiset.fi/artikkeli/mtv-n-tiedot-suomessa-selvityksessa-joitain-epaselvia-kansainvalisia-adoptiotapauksia/9169228> accessed 8 November 2025.

^[2] ibid

^[3] ‘Adoption Board monitors changes in intercountry adoption services’ (Finnish Government, 7 October 2024) <https://valtioneuvosto.fi/en/-/152634019/adoption-board-monitors-changes-in-intercountry-adoption-services> accessed 8 November 2025.