Chinese Adoption

In an effort to control its population growth, China implemented its well-publicized one-child policy in 1979. Although successful at curbing the population growth, the policy reinforced the practice of abandoning newborn girls. In China, sons are favored because they carry on the family and they are responsible for taking care of their parents in their old age.

While many provinces in China no longer enforce the one-child policy, 95% of the children abandoned today are still female. Although the abundance of girls is one reason families choose to adopt from China, boys are also available for adoption. Children born out of wedlock, whether boys or girls, might face abandonment due to society's unfavorable view toward unwed mothers.

China's adoption program is considered one of the best international adoption programs in this country. The Chinese government has established a relatively more stable way of working with international adoptive families. Unlike other foreign countries that shut down or suspend their adoption program from time to time, China has kept the adoption program relatively steady and going for almost a decade.

Established in 1996, the China Center of Adoption Affairs (CCAA), the central authority overseeing all China adoptions, is responsible for providing a stable and structured adoption process for adoptive parents. Orphanages and adoption agencies must be approved by and registered with the CCAA in order to place children.