Bureaucratic and judicial delays in India stretch the adoption process to 18 months for resident prospective parents and twice as long for expats. Puja Vijaykant, who recently adopted a girl, says the red tape should be eased.
DUBAI // Puja Vijaykant scoops her daughter Anya into her arms, and the emotional toll exacted from her by a long adoption process melts away.
It took patience, persistence, hundreds of emails, phone calls and more than seven years for Ms Vijaykant and her husband Ajay Keerthy to adopt a child from their home country.
By sharing their story, they hope to help other Indian expatriates to cope with the bureaucratic and judicial delays. There are 141 Indian expats in the Arabian Gulf who are waiting to adopt children.
“The process needs to be made simpler and needs to have more heart,” Ms Vijaykant said. “Parents can submit whatever documentation or verification is needed, but once parents have seen the child the process should not be prolonged.
“The judiciary needs to play a role to expedite it. We also must get rid of the bureaucracy that needs a stamp here and a seal there, and do away with registered post that takes two to three weeks to come through.”
Ms Vijaykant and her husband adopted 14-month-old Anya from an orphanage in Srikakulam, in southern India. Anya is among 112 children to find a home in the region in the past four years.
Inundated with calls from couples who wish to adopt, Omana Menon, who is licensed by India’s Central Adoption Resource Authority to help couples in the UAE and Arabian Gulf countries adopt Indian children, asks couples to be patient.
“You cannot blame anyone,” she said. “You cannot say the authority is wrong because it’s not an easy thing, they are doing the best they can. Neither can you blame the poor parents. They are getting older and get extremely disturbed the longer it takes.”
The adoption process for Indian expatriates is usually twice as long as the 18-month period for prospective parents in India.
Ms Vijaykant and Mr Keerthy had to wait an extra two years. They had to reapply in 2012 after their original registration in India in 2010 was returned because of their move overseas.
There was a further wait of 16 months from October 2012 because Indian authorities had stopped accepting expatriates’ adoption applications because of a lack of children.
When the adoption process restarted in 2014, it took a year before the couple had a chance to look at children awaiting adoption, and they chose Anya last October.
It took another month for Anya to be placed in the care of grandparents, who live in India.
Then the court order took two months, with the couple travelling back and forth at least five times. The process distressed Vivaan, the couple’s three-year-old son, who woke up crying most nights asking why his sister was not in Dubai.
“The adoption process does not take into account the trauma and stress that the child and parents go through,” Ms Vijaykant said.
Finally, in Dubai last month, Anya was getting to know her new family. She ran to Ms Vijaykant and sat quietly on her lap as Ms Vijaykant explained what it took to bring Anya to the child’s new home.
For Mr Keerthy, it is heart-warming to see Anya play with Vivaan and other children in their Jumeirah Beach Residence community.
“It’s not a fairytale story because settling in takes time,” Mr Keery said.
“The child is used to a different environment so she cries for every little thing, because that’s the way she has got her way in the orphanage.
“The process fatigued us because we had to push so much. It takes a toll on everything. But when I go back home and see her responding to us or when we try getting both kids to bed, I would never want it any other way.”
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Criteria for adoption
Rules for -non-resident Indians.
•Prospective adoptive parents should be physically, mentally and emotionally stable, financially capable, motivated to adopt a child and should not have any life-threatening medical condition.
•An adoptive father, irrespective of his marital status and whether or not he has his own biological son or daughter, can adopt a child.
•A single woman is eligible to adopt a child of any gender.
•A single man is not eligible to adopt a girl.
•In the case of a couple, the consent of both spouses is required.
•No child shall be given in adoption unless the couple has at least two years in a stable marital relationship.
•The minimum age difference between the child and either of the prospective adoptive parents should not be less than 25 years.
•The parent’s age on the date of registration shall be considered to apply for children of different age groups.
•For a child up to the age of four years, the maximum combined age of parents allowed is 90 and of a single adoptive parent 45.
•For four to eight-year-olds, the maximum combined age of parents allowed is 100 and a single parent 50; while from eight to 18 years of age, the age for both parents can be 110 years or a single parent can be 55 years.
•Couples with more than four children will not be considered for adoption.
•To simplify procedures, federal guidelines in 2015 mandate that instead of parents contacting different state adoption agencies, there is direct communication via an online system.
•Couples select the state, male or female child, normal or child with disability, on the Central Adoption Resource Authority portal before being offered options of six children and are then directed to agencies.
•Parents can register on the Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System online.
Source: Central Adoption Resource Authority, Ministry of Women & Child Development, Government of India.
rtalwar@thenational.ae
Straightforward ways to reduce sugar in your family's diet
- Ban fruit juice and sodas
- Eat a hearty breakfast that contains fats and wholegrains, such as peanut butter on multigrain toast or full-fat plain yoghurt with whole fruit and nuts, to avoid the need for a 10am snack
- Give young children plain yoghurt with whole fruits mashed into it
- Reduce the number of cakes, biscuits and sweets. Reserve them for a treat
- Don’t eat dessert every day
- Make your own smoothies. Always use the whole fruit to maintain the benefit of its fibre content and don’t add any sweeteners
- Always go for natural whole foods over processed, packaged foods. Ask yourself would your grandmother have eaten it?
- Read food labels if you really do feel the need to buy processed food
- Eat everything in moderation
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Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
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COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Fixtures:
Thursday:
Hatta v Al Jazira, 4.55pm
Al Wasl v Dibba, 7.45pm
Friday:
Al Dhafra v Al Nasr, 5.05pm
Shabab Al Ahli Dubai v Al Wahda, 7.45pm
Saturday:
Ajman v Emirates, 4.55pm
Al Ain v Sharjah, 7.45pm
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20SAMSUNG%20GALAXY%20Z%20FOLD5
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Company%20Profile
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
Company%20Profile
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Men's football draw
Group A: UAE, Spain, South Africa, Jamaica
Group B: Bangladesh, Serbia, Korea
Group C: Bharat, Denmark, Kenya, USA
Group D: Oman, Austria, Rwanda
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
Bahrain%20GP
%3Cp%3EFriday%20qualifying%3A%207pm%20(8pm%20UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ESaturday%20race%3A%207pm%20(UAE)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ETV%3A%20BeIN%20Sports%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre twin-turbo flat-six
Power: 480hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 570Nm from 2,300-5,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel consumption: 10.4L/100km
Price: from Dh547,600
On sale: now