The “Quiet Migration”: Challenges for Identity Development in Intercountry Adoptees

Debates around international adoptions, invoke often passionate arguments for and against. Is this ‘the ultimate form of imperialism’, trafficking and exploitation of children? Or are international adoptions successful interventions in the lives of the most vulnerable children worldwide? This presentation draws on research findings on the outcomes of international adoption and its impact on various aspects of adopted children’s development and focuses on the challenges for cultural and ethnic identity development of intercountry adoptees.
Comparisons will be drawn with findings from open adoption and debates will be put forward whether openness can be achieved, in the best interest of the child, in intercountry adoption, and the relevance of further research on the outcomes for internationally adopted children coming of age for both policy and practice will be highlighted.