After the tightening of regulations, adoption to other countries has ceased in Latvia. At the same time, the number of domestic adoptions is also decreasing. Previously, most children adopted from Latvia ended up in the USA. TV3 news investigated what the government knows about them.
352 — this is the number of children currently in the adoption registry, clarifies TV3. A significant portion of them are already teenagers, and local adopters rarely choose such children. Many have been living in the system for years and have expressed a desire not to be placed in a family. The others continue to hope.
The year 2022 marked a turning point — the last moment when previously initiated international adoptions were completed. At that time, all five children were sent to the USA.
Since then, international adoption has stopped, and domestic adoption is decreasing. Although last year, compared to 2024, the number of adopted children was twice as high.
"The decline is possibly related to socio-economic conditions — people are not ready to take on additional responsibilities. Until the situation stabilizes, people have concerns about their economic situation," said Zita Veldze, Deputy Director of the Department of Child and Family Policy at the Ministry of Welfare.
Until 2022, most children found homes in the USA. Today, this is no longer possible. Regulations have become stricter, and adoption is possible in six countries — Moldova, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Poland, Estonia, and Lithuania, which have ratified the Hague Convention and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as concluded bilateral agreements with Latvia. However, there has been no interest from their side.
Linda Balčūne, the head of the Zvannieki Family Support and Continuous Education Center, was one of those who fought for stricter legislation a few years ago. According to her, it was not just a small initiative but a state policy — targeted and built over the years, when Latvian children were so easily transferred to other countries.
"Changes in regulations are sufficient to ensure that such cases no longer occur. This is a historic step for Latvia and confirmation that we are taking responsibility for our children ourselves," explained Balčūne.
There are different situations — and in Latvia, when adopting, a child may not adapt to the family, but they still remain under the supervision of our services, which cannot be said about earlier cases in the USA.
"At one point, we discovered a report that examined the terrible practice of re-adopting children — when they can be transferred to another family, and the state does not monitor this. In our circle, there were foster families from which children were transferred for adoption abroad. After a few years, we tried to find out something, but it turned out that the child was no longer with that family," said Balčūne.
The Ministry of Welfare notes that information about the last children adopted in the USA is received regularly.
"Since 2021, the regulations have changed, and stricter post-adoption supervision has been established. It has been determined that foster families must submit a report twice a year — in the first two years, and then once a year until the child reaches adulthood. Currently, we regularly receive these reports," says Veldze.
After the regulation changes, foreign agencies aimed at cooperating with potential adopters from other countries ceased operations.
"In 2025, the licenses expired, and none of the agencies requested their renewal," clarified Veldze.
Meanwhile, statistical data indicate that the total number of children in out-of-home care in Latvia is now close to 5500 — they live in foster families, are under guardianship, or in care centers.
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