Foreign Adoptions Banned in Ethiopia

Ethiopian law makers have on Tuesday voted to ban all foreign adoptions as there are fears that the adopted children may suffer abuse while overseas.

Ethiopian officials including those at capital Addis Ababa embassy have repeatedly spoken to the Ethiopian government to try to move pending cases forward and to emphasize the importance of intercountry adoptions and will continue to do so.

It is reported that in making their decision “lawmakers in Ethiopia point to the vulnerability abroad of Ethiopian children adopted by foreigners.”

The decision comes six and half years after the death of Hana Williams, a 13-year-old girl adopted from Ethiopia by a US couple and was found unconscious outside her family’s Washington State home on a cold night.

Three years after joining the family, the girl showed signs of long-term starvation and physical abuse. Her adoptive parents were convicted in her death and are serving prison time.

Ethiopia is the biggest source countries for international adoptions by US citizens.

Celebrities like Angellina Jolie and Brad Pitt are among others who have adopted kids from Ethiopia.