Assistance to International Families - International Adoption of Children with Thai Nationality -

 

There are countries that send children overseas, and others that receive those children into their country for the purpose of international adoption. Since 1978 Japan has received children from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia as Indo-China refugees and today many Asian children from China, Korea and the Philippines come to Japan as adoptees, although Japan used to be one of the sending countries 50 years ago. There are still many children raised at home overseas because no carers were found in their home country. And Thailand is one of such countries.

The procedures for international adoption in Thailand are guided and regulated by a governmental agency called the Child Adoption Center (CAC), the Department of Public Welfare (DPW). Child with Thai nationality cannot be adopted unless the matching of child and prospective adoptive parents is first approved by the agency at the biweekly Board meeting. The child and adoptive parents have interviews with the Board, to be assessed whether the child has passed the criteria to be an adoptee, and whether the adoptive parents in future can provide the child an appropriate home to be raised in.

At ISSJ, we started consultation services on adoption procedures for Thai children in the late 1980's. Our first service of this kind was for a Japanese husband and his Thai wife wishing to adopt the wife's natural child. Collecting information from Thai wife who cannot communicate well in Japanese is a difficult part for us when preparing the Home Study Report, which is the most important of all the necessary documents. And the procedures will not be completed without the understanding and support by Japanese husband, and it may take 3 to 4 years easily if they do not have the determination to tackle the problems swiftly. If the adoptee is the natural child of the wife we go through the adoption process by first bringing the child over to Japan to live together. In cases of adopting 'child of a relative' or 'child not related by blood', the child cannot obtain the long-term resident visa even if he/she can enter Japan, so we cannot let the procedures take too long.

Since 1995, inquiries about adoption referred via the family courts and the Royal Thai Embassy have increased in numbers. And for 3 years now, we offer orientation sessions 5 times a year. 'Living Manual' issued by the Royal Thai Embassy in June 2001 informs you to contact ISSJ about adoption matters. We communicate with the agency in Thailand using e-mail as well as telephone, fax and post.

Currently we handle 40 active cases, out of which there are 8 'Relative' (adoption of child of a relative) cases, 6 'Non-Relative' (adoption of child not related by blood) cases, and 26 'Step' (adoption of wife's biological child) cases. These days we see more increase in the number of adoption cases with children of relatives, or children not related by blood born from overstaying mothers. Also we have a case where a married Japanese couple have brought a Thai child from an institution over to Japan to live together, and are going through the adoption process. Looking at these cases we can see that family orientation is changing from old Japanese tradition succeeding family names to a more child-orientated way of thinking.

At ISSJ, we put our effort into after-care services for our clients after the adoption is completed, because we strongly feel that family relationship really only starts after the legal procedures are completed.

Case Study - Thai Non-Relative Adoption

Mr. & Mrs. T (Japanese husband and Thai wife) were asked to take care of a 2 months old baby boy A, by  Mrs. T's friend who was the baby's mother as well. The mother was overstaying in Japan and not married to A's father, so he had not been legally registered at the time they contacted ISSJ. The couple had no child of their own, and A became attached to them. They consulted the natural mother about A's adoption by T couple and started to find the adoption procedures after they had obtained the natural mother's consent. They contacted the local public office, family court, Royal Thai Embassy and finally reached ISSJ.

Social worker of ISSJ took the mother and A to the Royal Thai Embassy to register A's birth and asked the mother to execute a written consent to release A for adoption. Afterwards, ISSJ submitted to the Child Adoption Centre in Thailand, 'Home Study Report' and 'Child Assessment Report' along with other necessary documents, in compliance with the applicable law of Thailand. Through our adoption assistance process for protection and safety of the child, we could find out how the couple faced and resolved problems with the wife's visa in Japan as she was a 'overstayer', and how they stuck together even though they were not so well off. Mr. T himself was raised by his step-mother and was treated differently from his step-brothers, although he has never had a grudge against his past. But he has actively involved in the adoption process, saying that he would not let A have sad experiences that he went through.

After the 2nd child adjustment report was submitted to the DPW, Mrs. T alone flew to Thailand leaving A with her friend in Tokyo. She registered the child's citizenship by the assistance of CAC. Also she took A's natural mother to CAC to sign the affidavit of consent for adoption to make it an official document and returned to Japan. A returned to the couple's home and started to go to the nursery again. ISSJ social worker visited the day nursery with Mr. & Mrs. T to find out A's nursery life from his nursery teacher to prepare the 3rd child adjustment report, which was forwarded to CAC.

4 years have passed since they first contacted ISSJ, and in the 5th year, the official approval from the DPW was sent to ISSJ. Now the notification of adoption is entered in Mr. T's family register. The next step in the process is to obtain resident status for A and his naturalisation.

Mr. & Mrs. T has purchased a house of their own, and Mr. T's father enjoys being a grandfather when he occasionally visits the family. The child has been raised under Mr. and Mrs. T's affectionate care, going to school happily.

(Service subsidized by the Keirin Association)