Years After the Intercountry Adoption Moratorium in Guatemala

Analysis of the Social Welfare System in the Global Era

Bibliographic Data

ID8135698
AuthorsKaren Rotabi-Casares (California State University, Monterey Bay, corresponding author), C Monico (0000-0003-0326-4813, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University), Monico Carmen
Year2026
Volume10
Issue1
Pages16
Publication date2026-01-23
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueGenealogy (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2313-5778 • E-ISSN: 2313-5778
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/genealogy10010016
OpenAlexW7125510317
LanguageEN
References cited12

Guatemala’s intercountry adoptions were suspended in 2007 after widespread illicit procedures and the persistent trafficking of children. This article is a historical and policy analysis of the related social welfare systems. It uses Midgley’s framework to examine the past and the changes that have resulted in Guatemala’s reform era. Specific attention has been paid to non-formal systems, market-based or profit-oriented systems, non-profit and faith-based systems, and importantly, government-based systems. Previous (pre-reform) child welfare systems, particularly during the millennium adoption surge, are then compared to a relatively new and reformed system. An international child rights legal and policy context, to include the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, frames the discussion that also considers the passage of the 2007 Adoption Law. The article has a child rights perspective and considers the role of women, particularly birth parents, during Guatemala’s peak adoption years

Convention · Human rights · Perspective (graphical · Social policy · Social Welfare · Welfare · Welfare system · Child Welfare and Adoption · Children's Rights and Participation · Reproductive Health and Technologies

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