19/07/2026
The challenge is that many adoption records from that period are incomplete, inaccurate, or no longer available.
In many cases, information presented to the courts and orphanage centers was later found to contain false or misleading details.
Because of these serious concerns and the misuse of the adoption system by some organizations, the Ethiopian government eventually stopped most international adoptions, and many orphanage centers involved at that time were closed.
As a result, it is often impossible to obtain essential information such as the exact location where a child was found, the name of the orphanage, the person who brought the child there, police reports, court documents, or other background records.
Some police records were never properly maintained or have since been lost, making it even more difficult to trace old cases.
Another major challenge is that some adoptive families are reluctant to share the documents they have.
They may fear that providing records could affect their relationship with their adopted child or create emotional difficulties for the family.
This means that even when important documents still exist, they are not always accessible.
These factors make searching for an adoptee's true background extremely difficult.
Many adoptees are left with unanswered questions about their identity, birthplace, biological family, and the circumstances surrounding their adoption, despite making every effort to find the truth.