Vietnamese foster parents turn their backs on disabled children

By Ngoc Hau   August 11, 2016 | 03:46 am PT
More foreigners are adopting kids with disabilities.

Deputy Head of Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Justice Nguyen Van Vu said that 98.6 percent of Vietnamese foster parents adopted healthy children while 65 percent of foreign foster parents took in kids who need special care over the past four years.

“Only a mere 1.4 percent of Vietnamese people adopted disabled children,” said Vu.

He said that they city has complied with provisions in the Law on Adoption, that state that foreigners can only adopt when no Vietnamese parents can be found.

“This is the reason why the rate of local foster parents who adopt healthy children is higher,” Vu said, adding that Vietnamese people often view an adopted child as a family member rather than an individual in need of special care.

Data from the city’s Department of Justice showed that during the four-year period, about 1,260 children were adopted by Vietnamese foster parents, of which 80.3 percent still live with their adopted families and only 4.2 percent are in orphanages.

In contrast, 92 percent of the 677 kids adopted by foreigners now live in foster centers.

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