Dark side of gender bias: More female children up for adoption

Hubballi: A total of 1,331 children were adopted between 2018 and 2023 in Karnataka, of which 775 were girl children. As many as 103 girl children were adopted by parents living in foreign countries.

Also, there are a higher number of female children up for grabs in the adoption centres of the state. 

According to experts, one of the major reasons for a higher number of girls in these centres is social prejudice and a preference for male children by biological parents.

Karnataka is ranked fourth in the country in terms of adoptions. Maharashtra has reported the highest number of children adopted in the country, followed by Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

Govt portal 

According to Child Adoption Resource Information and Guidance System (CARINGS), a union government portal that records “legally available children for adoption,” 18,177 children found a new home (family) in India and abroad between 2018 and 2023. Of this, 10,600 were girl children.

In 2023-24, India saw 3,008 adoptions till December 2023. In all, 32,739 prospective adoptive parents have registered with CARINGS to adopt kids.

Currently, there are 2,167 children on the system. Of them, 1,422 are children with special needs. Currently, Karnataka has 99 children waiting to be adopted. Of them, 65 are kids with special needs.

Abandoned children

“Children born out of wedlock and to minors as well as kids of parents who are poor are either abandoned or surrendered by their biological parents,” said Santosh Koulagi of Janapada Seva Trust that runs Karunagruha, an adoption placement centre at Melukote in Mandya district.

Couples can adopt a child in India under three major laws - the Hindu Adoption and Maintenance Act of 1956, the Guardians and Wards Act of 1890 and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act of 2000. Single women who are above 25 years of age and are financially stable are eligible to adopt a child.

Single men can adopt only a male child after clearing certain conditions, including an age difference of 35 years between the child and the adoptive father. 

Officials at the State Adoption Resource Agency (SARA) Karnataka and staff at government-registered adoption agencies say first preference is given to adoptive parents who opt for ‘no choice’ in terms of gender and other preferences while seeking a child for adoption. Prioritising one gender reduces the chances of adopting a child by 50%. 

Healthy baby

“A majority of the adoptive parents seek a healthy baby, irrespective of gender,” says Malathi, welfare officer at Mathru Chhaya Adoption Centre, Bengaluru.

“Most of the time, the women and child welfare department officials give us children who are abandoned, orphaned or surrendered. Unfortunately, the number of girl children abandoned is more,” she said.

Sources in SARA-K informed DH that their top priority is to reunite the baby with its biological parents. She says most adopting parents look for children less than 2-3 years of age.

Long wait 

Malathi says there is a long waiting period for parents to adopt children. “There are people who have been waiting for three to four years to adopt a child,” she says.