I'm very glad that Anna Singer and her group dared to do something that no other Swedish investigation has done and used the Convention on the Rights of the Child as a starting point instead of the Hague Convention, says Hanna Johansson, who was adopted from Korea in 1976.
Among the many positive proposals she sees is that Sweden should ratify the Convention on the Abduction of Children, which the other Nordic countries have already done.
It's important because, according to it, there is no statute of limitations for when a crime has been committed. Since countries of origin such as South Korea, Chile, Colombia, and Poland have also signed it, it provides an opportunity for those adopted from these countries to use it and go to the UN and get justice, she says.
Economic Compensation
Johansson also raises the issue of compensation to adoptees and compares it to the compensation for those who were mistreated as foster children.
I think that if the investigators now say that there has been systematic wrongdoing and Sweden has known about it, a new investigation should be set up on economic compensation to us who came to Sweden during this period.
Alexander Forselius came to Sweden from Romania in 1994. He thinks that the proposal to stop international adoptions is too harsh.
It's like saying you should close down a store because there are too many shoplifters, so no one has the opportunity to buy food. Just as some people buy food for legitimate reasons and need it, so do some people need to be adopted, he says.
Finding a Middle Way
Forselius thinks that a stop feels stigmatizing and hopes that one can find a middle way.
I still believe that there are children who need to come to adoption. I know that other countries have also reduced or stopped adoptions, but I still think we should be a good example.
I think there are children who need to get adopted. I know that other countries have also reduced or stopped adoptions, but I still think we should be a good example.
Hanna Johansson has understanding for that not all adoptees can identify with and may have difficulty accepting the investigation's conclusions.
That perspective exists and it should also exist. It's not about individual cases, but about something that has happened systematically. Of course, for the individual adoptee, it can be extremely difficult. Most have grown up believing that their adoption was correct.
