International Symposium

For decades, intercountry adoption was widely celebrated as a humanitarian practice, promising children a better future with families overseas. In recent years, however, this image has come under increasing scrutiny. In 2021, the Dutch Joustra Commission uncovered systemic abuses in past intercountry adoptions and concluded that the Dutch government had knowledge thereof but failed to intervene. Inquiries in other European receiving countries and some countries of origin have reached similar conclusions, prompting a growing number of countries to phase out intercountry adoption or to consider a ban. These developments have been driven in important part by adoptees advocacy. For many years, adoptees have been demanding justice for the harm inflicted upon them and their families in the countries of origin. However, their efforts to secure recognition and redress from those involved in the adoption system often stall, and many feel that their experiences are not properly heard or taken seriously. 

What does meaningful recognition and redress after intercountry adoption require? How can we foster a dialogue about the lasting consequences of past intercountry adoption and what should follow from them for the present and the future? Organised on the occasion of the inaugural lecture of Elvira Loibl, Professor of Recognition, Dialogue and Redress after Intercountry Adoption at the University of Humanistic Studies, this symposium brings together scholars, practitioners, and people with lived experience to explore these questions. Across two days, we will discuss inquiries and recent developments in receiving countries and countries of origin, the long-term impact of intercountry adoption, and different approaches to recognition and redress. We will also explore how a debate about recognition and redress can create room for the diverse lived experiences and perspectives of adoptees, including views that may differ or even conflict, without diminishing or invalidating any of them.