Colombian Adoptions - Special Needs, Americans, Available, Child

Bordering the Caribbean Sea between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean between Ecuador and Panama, Colombia is situated in the northernmost part of the continent of South America. Today, almost 40 million people call Colombia home. The population of Colombia is descended from three racial groups - Indian, blacks, and whites - that have mingled throughout the past 500 years. Recognizing the impossibility of objective racial classification and not wishing to emphasize ethnic or racial differences, the national census of Colombia dropped references to race after 1918 - an achievement decades ahead of most other nations.

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A 40-year insurgent campaign to overthrow the Colombian government escalated during the 1990s, financed in part by funds from the drug trade. Although the violence can be deadly at times, the movement apparently lacks the military strength or popular support necessary to overthrow the government.

In 2002, Americans adopted 334 children from Colombia. Some of the children available for international adoption in Colombia live in orphanages, while others are in foster care. Infants only a few months old are available for international adoption from Colombia. Furthermore, there are many sibling groups available for international adoption from Colombia. Many children in Colombia are abandoned by single parents who simply cannot afford to feed them, or who must work to survive and cannot afford child care while they work.

What's Involved in Adopting a Child From Colombia?

The Colombian Institute of Family Welfare (ICBF), located in the capital of Bogotá, processes the international adoptions and oversees the licensing of private orphanages. Colombian law allows children to be adopted only through the ICBF and approved adoption agencies. Every adopted child must have a final adoption decree in order to leave Colombia. Colombian law requires that both adopting parents be physically present when the adoption is presented to a Family Judge in Colombia. There are no exceptions to this requirement, and the process usually takes about one to two weeks. After both parents have appeared before the court, one of the parents may return to the United States while the other parent remains in Colombia until the adoption/immigrant visa process is completed. At least one parent should plan to stay in Colombia for two to six weeks.

In a Nut Shell: The Low-Down on Adopting From Colombia

Children Available: Healthy infants, both girls and boys, from newborn to 18 months old. Older children and special needs children are also available for adoption from Colombia.

Parent Requirements: Married couples may adopt from Colombia. Single women are allowed to adopt special needs children. Parents must be at least 25 years old.

Travel Requirements: Travel is required for adoptions from Colombia. The average stay in country lasts from three to eight weeks.

Time Frame: The time from when you submit your initial application until the time you bring your child home averages 17 months.

Number of Children Adopted by Americans in 2002: 334

Additional Information: Some children are in orphanages, while other children are in foster care. Post placement reports and supervision are required for six months. Childless couples may not specify the gender of the child they wish to adopt.

Travel Advisory: The U.S. Department of State warns U.S. citizens against travel to Colombia. Violence by narcotics terrorist groups and other criminal elements continues to affect all parts of the country, urban and rural. Citizens of the United States and other countries continue to be the victims of threats, kidnappings, and other violence. This threat has increased recently in urban areas, including, but not limited to, Bogota, Cartagena, and Barranquilla. Colombian terrorist groups also operate in the border areas of neighboring countries, creating similar dangers for travelers in those areas.

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Credits: Excerpted from "International Adoption Guidebook," by Mary Strickert