Quebec suspends international adoptions amid human trafficking concerns

The Quebec government has suspended the opening of new files for international adoptions, saying it is concerned about the risk of human trafficking.

The province's health and social services ministry says it wants to do a thorough assessment of the adoption process before proceeding with any additional files.

This is in spite of the Hague Convention, a series of international treaties that aim to protect children and families from illegal adoptions and child abduction.

"Many countries, principally European countries, but as well as countries of origin, for the past years, have been worried because even with the convention, [it] might not be that robust in its application in certain countries," explains Geneviève Poirier, secretariat for International Child Services.

Nevertheless, non-profit organizations approved by the Quebec government to help families with international adoptions say the news of the suspension was a major shock.

"It's not a generalized issue. There are some countries here and there where there are practices that are questionable but it's not all the countries," said William Côté, chair of the Board of Directors at Enfants d'Orient et d'Occident. "We have countries, you know, South Korea is a very good example where their government monitors and follows every single process very closely."

He says he's worried the government's move could harm relationships with partner countries, noting that adoptions have also slowed since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We have no idea what's next, what's going to be the next step, what's going to be the next measure that's going to be put in place," said Côté.

The Quebec government insists the decision will not affect international adoption files already in process.