Guatemala was the country that gave out the most adoptions in the whole world in 2008, higher than China who was #1 in 2007. That's right, in 2008 Guatemala registered 4, 123 adoptions, most of them to foreign parents.
Some experts insist that this is a good opportunity for the children, since most of the babies that are given up for adoption are born in extremely poor households and adoption almost seems like the only chance for a better life. Others (and I sadly agree) state that since it's so easy to adopt in Guatemala, this causes some women to get pregnant, wanting only to give the child up for adoption as soon as it's born and hopefully receive a nice monetary retribution for this.
The adoption process in Guatemala lasts from 10 to 14 months and most of the adopted children are newborns. The short time spawn and the average adoption cost of around $19,000 US dolars represent an attractive scenario for business, thus, crating a true market based on offer and demand based on children. Some Guatemalan lawyers are getting very rich due to this conditions...
My final thought on this issue is that hopefully, in about 20 years, one of this exported children comes home, and makes Guatemala a better place...
NC
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