The stories of those adoptive families created through intercountry adoption, is a story of an intercultural encounter – a meeting with another, in all of his or her individuality and social and cultural identity. The issue of identity, therefore, is central to the adoption process. The search into one’s origins is part of this identity quest – a quest inherent in all, but which is often stronger amongst adopted persons.
With this in mind, ISS/IRC has updated its 2011 survey on the subject, with the aim of identifying evolutions that have occurred since that time in relation to search for origins, both at a legal and a practical level. This paper is aimed at supporting the professionals who accompany adoptees and their families at this time in life, and the various authorities with the competency to make decisions on this matter. This paper offers a presentation, analysis and detailed synthesis of the results of this updated survey.
