- Headline: Path to Adoption for Illegitimate Children
- Subheading: Guidance for unwed mothers on parental rights relinquishment; Early notice eases delivery and foster placement
- Source: Dong-A Ilbo
- Date of Publication: March 17, 1970
- Summary:
Since its founding in 1967, the Christian Adoption Program of Korea (CAPOK) has led efforts to find homes for orphans and abandoned children. In March, CAPOK welcomed Sidney Byma, a 28-year-old Canadian expert in adoption counseling, to expand initiatives supporting unwed mothers and their children. Byma, who arrived in Seoul on March 12, will be overseeing a counseling program to guide unwed mothers through the process of relinquishing parental rights. With a wealth of experience in adoption practices, He also plans to work closely with CAPOK to help launch a comprehensive effort to place children born out of wedlock with caring families. CAPOK encourages unwed mothers to reach out during pregnancy rather than after childbirth, explaining that early intervention allows for healthier, more stable placements. Currently, most mothers contact CAPOK at around seven to eight months into their pregnancies. CAPOK arranges for newborns to be placed in foster homes immediately after birth, providing foster families with a monthly stipend of 2,800 KRW along with essentials such as milk, clothing, and medical support until a permanent adoption can be secured. The organization reports that the average age of unwed mothers is approximately 22, with most coming from lower-income or unsupportive households. Adoptive families, on the other hand, are predominantly middle-class, and around 80 percent are childless couples. Thanks to CAPOK’s outreach, children who might otherwise face abandonment due to their mothers’ unwed status are finding new beginnings. In March alone, three children were successfully placed in adoptive homes, each child beginning a new life with their adoptive families. Stigmatization of Unwed Mothers and the Beginnings of Adoption Interventions 1970: Canadian Expert in Parental Rights Relinquishment Consulted in Korea
In 1970, the Christian Adoption Program of Korea (CAPOK) invited a Canadian specialist in parental rights relinquishment to support its growing initiative targeting the adoption of children born to unwed mothers. CAPOK’s multifaceted approach included counseling unwed mothers, facilitating the relinquishment of parental rights, and promoting adoption as a pathway for these children. This targeted intervention yielded a marked increase in domestic adoptions: while 1,163 children born to unwed mothers were adopted in the 1960s, the 1970s saw that number surge to 9,075 (Kwon, 2019, p. 29).
Reference: Kwon, Hee Jung. The Birth of Unwed Mothers: The History of Exiled Mothers (unofficial translation). Antonia’s Books, 2019.
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Note: Articles are in Korean, and English translations are not provided in the library. An infant entrusted to CAPK receives a monthly health checkup. Bottom Photo:
Social workers examine a newly arrived infant.
The English summary and translation of this article is provided by UMI4AA. |
