The Melanesian Institute

Adoption is quite a huge term with many different means and although it is a global trend, it varies in societies and forms.

Adoption can be defined academically, theologically, politically but perhaps the most important definition is the social definition of adoption.

One thing that is most certain is when one hears the word adoption, one recalls someone’s biological child being taken care of by someone else whether through blood relation or not.

Someone once said that adoption has the connection not only to your own tribe but beyond widening the scope of what makes up love, ties and families.

Through adoption, immediate circles are stretched past and by reaching out, an unexpected sense of belonging with others is found.

There are numerous reasons why children are given up for adoption or why adoption takes place in the first place and this varies in countries.

In most developed countries, adoption is a legal process which takes place and once all legalities have been taken into account, the adoption procedure is given the green light.

Without doubt most countries which are yet to be developed do have some form of legal adoption processes put in place but however the practice of customary adoption is dominant and Papuan New Guinea is no exclusion.

Both forms of adoption however share common features such as the condition that lead to children being put up for adoption, the circumstances that lead people to adopting those children, categories of people who are allowed to adopt and more so in the past than today a reluctance to tell children about their adoption.

Adoption then provides the grateful functions in both the Western and PNG societies such as enabling childless couples to have children and become parents, to strengthen their marriage and provide care in their old age and continue their family name.

Additionally it provides the needs for unwanted or orphan children, to free parenthood responsibilities from those who are unable to do so and enable young women to continue education or careers and marry without having to bring along an illegitimate child.

Since adoption is a legal process in Western societies, greater openness is now encouraged to better serve the interest of all those concerned and adoption laws say the minimum age is 18.

Apart from this belief, many children in Western societies have been adopted from other racial backgrounds which physically makes their resemblances stand out the older they get.

In PNG, customary adoption practices are always semi-public and it is only in rare cases that adoptive parents try to conceal the fact from their adopted children.

In contrast of both societies Western societies have adoptees from within and outside the country whereas the PNG society adopts from within and especially from relatives.

Western adopters must legally be healthy with a stable marriage and income with recent acceptations of single persons whereas in PNG it is uncommon because of adoption being mostly customarily.

Regarding inheritance, an adoptee in Western societies has rights to inherit from his or her adoptive parents whereas it is unlikely in PNG.

In PNG, the biological family of the adoptee already have an existing relationship with the adoptee’s family whereas in Western societies they remain strangers to each other.

Despite these differences, adoption provides a positive alternative to unfortunate instances such as abortion or infanticide, it provides a face-saving measure and mostly in PNG adoption provides a home for illegitimate children by their biological parents’ family members.

If adoption were too easy, everyone would do it, if it were too hard, no one would do it and if it was not worth it, Jesus would not have done it or even called us to do it and the last reason should be the one reason that everyone should remember.

At that point, the child can be place within a family that can love, provide and raise the child.

By Amanda Kundil