Adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh

Is anyone adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh in the USA? I don’t know any family who has adopted a child from Bangladesh except Senator John McCain, who has an adopted daughter of Bangladeshi origin. But there must be some families out there. What are their stories? Are Bangladeshis living abroad interested in adoption? I watched a few excellent documentaries on international adoption issues – The Dark Matter of Love (2012), Somewhere Between (2011), Daughter from Danang (2002), and First Person Plural (2000) – adoption stories from Russia, China, Vietnam, and Korea, respectively. But I have found no stories from Bangladesh so far except an old newspaper article from 1973.

Well, adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh is not like adopting a child from China, Vietnam, Korea, Ukraine, Russia, Ethiopia, Congo, Guatemala, or other countries. Child adoption is not a common practice among Bangladeshis for three main reasons. In short, they are:

• As a Muslim country, Islamic law does not accept ‘adoption’ as such but offers ‘guardianship’, a similar provision for the caring of an orphan.
• Like many Asian countries, Bangladesh tends to value blood-related parenthood more highly. Parents’ blood lineage with children is considered more important in society.
• Bangladesh law does not permit non-Bangladeshi citizens to be the legal guardian of children. Only a Bangladeshi citizen by birth or a Bangladeshi citizen who is also a naturalized citizen of a foreign country can obtain guardianship of a Bangladeshi child.

That does not mean adopting a Bangladeshi child is not possible. In the USA, adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh is only possible by Bangladeshi-American citizens. Bangladesh is not a party to the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. Bangladeshi law does not allow for full adoption of Bangladeshi children. Therefore, Bangladeshi Americans considering the adoption of Bangladeshi children must obtain guardianship from a Bangladeshi court and subsequently adopt the child in the United States.

In the past 16 years, more than 260,000 children have come to the United States to join their families through international adoption (also called intercountry adoption). However, child adoption from Bangladesh is relatively very low in the USA. From 1999-2015, only 173 children came to the USA. In 2015, only nine children were adopted from Bangladesh.

Now, for various reasons, the scenario has changed. Although actual data is sparse, there are some Bangladeshi-American families who want to adopt children from Bangladesh. Organizations like Hope International even started a Bangladesh-specific adoption program to help willing parents. Anyone interested in adopting a Bangladeshi child may find the following information useful.

U.S. law requires that every international adoption follows certain procedures. Most adoptions have the following steps:

〉〉 Selecting your adoption service provider
〉〉 Gaining approval to adopt
〉〉 Being matched with a child
〉〉 Adopting or obtaining legal custody of the child in a foreign country
〉〉 Applying for a visa for the child to move to the United States and
〉〉 Traveling home with your child.

Qualifications for adopting a Bangladeshi child from Bangladesh

U.S. Requirements:

1. You must be a U.S. citizen. If you are married, your spouse must also be a U.S. citizen or have legal status in the United States.
2. If you are unmarried, you must be at least 25 years old.

Bangladesh Requirement:

1. Citizenship: Prospective guardians must provide proof of Bangladeshi citizenship.
2. Age: Prospective Adoptive Parents must be at least 18 years old; Bangladeshi law does not specify a maximum age for adopting parents.
3. Gender: Both married and single persons may adopt. Bangladesh does not recognize same-sex marriage.
4. Income: Bangladesh law does not establish a minimum income requirement for guardians. However, a prospective guardian must prove to the Family Court judge that he/she can feed, shelter, and educate the child.
5. Guardianship: Bangladeshi law does not allow for final adoptions of Bangladeshi children in Bangladesh. Prospective adoptive parents considering adopting a Bangladeshi child must obtain guardianship from a Bangladeshi court and subsequently adopt the child in the United States.

In-Country Provider: You need a licensed attorney in Bangladesh who has experience and can deal with legal and bureaucratic steps. Also, reputable orphanages where the children live.

Time Frame: Depending on many factors, including the number of eligible children at the time of your availability to travel to Bangladesh, the time frame to prepare your initial paperwork and be matched with a child can take 5-12 months.

The Children: The children available for adoption in Bangladesh are usually orphaned due to poverty or the stigma of being an unwed mother. Bangladesh’s youngest children, who are available for international adoption, are 1-2 months old. Older children, sibling groups, and children with special needs live in government orphanages.

Process of adopting from Bangladesh

You first select your adoption service provider/agency in the USA and have a general information meeting with them. It can be done in person or via telephone if your service provider is out of state. After the meeting, you sign the contracts and pay the initial agency fees. Your service agency will then help you with a home study or biographical history of the adoptive family, USCIS processing, adoption dossier or collection of documents, notarization, verification, certification, and translations of documents required by Bangladesh.

Costs of Adopting from Bangladesh: 

The cost of international adoption varies depending on agency fees, application fees, home study fees, court fees, travel expenses, and other expenses. However, it is advised to have between $20,000 to $40,000. Adoption from Bangladesh could be on the lower end. Some families might be qualified for adoption tax credit or assistance provided by states in the USA. Here is a general estimate of the costs of international adoption provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Final Thoughts:

• Bangladesh should make adoption law easier to adopt children from Bangladesh by the international community – not only by Bangladeshi citizens abroad. As the nature of adoption is becoming more diverse in the United States and other countries, it may be high time for Bangladesh to implement a uniform adoption law that enables abandoned and homeless children to find new parents, security, love, happiness, and a bright future. Many bureaucratic hassles are involved in getting clearance to take the adopted child abroad. There is also a growing demand for changing adoption laws in Bangladesh.
• Bangladeshis living abroad donate money to orphanages, mosques, schools, and other social causes. Adoption can be a new way to go if possible and affordable. Millions of children in Bangladesh need a better life, not just a place in an orphanage.
• Besides Kinship/Relative adoption, Bangladeshis can also venture out to adopt children from other countries!
• It would be great to know about the Bangladeshi community’s adoption experience. Any storytellers? Bloggers? Writers? Documentarians?