ABSTRACT
In today’s world, social workers find themselves at the center of controversies over intercountry adoption (ICA). Adoption across borders represents a significant component of international migration; in recent years, up to 45,000 children have crossed borders annually as part of the intercountry adoption boom. Proponents have touted intercountry adoption as a natural intervention for promoting child welfare. However, in cases of fraud, economic incentives, child sales, and abduction, intercountry adoption has been denounced as child trafficking. The debate on intercountry adoption has been framed in terms of three perspectives: proponents who advocate intercountry adoption, abolitionists who argue for its elimination, and pragmatists who look for ways to improve both the conditions in sending countries and the procedures for intercountry transfer of children (Masson, 2001). All three perspectives are represented in this book.
