Kristersson Open to Apology for International Adoptees Amid Trafficking Concerns

Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) does not rule out that all internationally adopted persons should receive an apology. It is very serious information that is coming to light, he says.

» Published: June 04 2025

Kristersson Open to Apology for International Adoptees Amid Trafficking Concerns
Photo: Johan Nilsson/TT

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The government's investigator proposed earlier this week that international adoptions should be prohibited.

This after several cases of child trafficking have been discovered, most of them from the 1970s and 80s. In many cases, there is also a lack of consent from parents, it was stated.

Ulf Kristersson thinks that the investigation raises many questions.

It is incredibly important that this job has been done. There are a large number of proposals from the commission that we will now look at very closely,” he says.

”Have trusted the systems”

Ulf Kristersson was himself the chairman of the Adoption Centre.

How do you view your own role, is there anything you regret?

The information that now exists did not exist then, it has emerged afterwards, and that is why we wanted a review that went through all this systematically.

He emphasizes that government authorities have approved which countries one may work with.

I have trusted that the systems have functioned. But I really welcome this, I want everything to come to light.

The investigator believes that the state needs to acknowledge the violations of human rights that have occurred in connection with international adoptions, and apologize to all internationally adopted persons.

The commission discusses how it could be done and wants to have a dialogue with adopted persons and adoptive families in Sweden. The government rules out nothing, says Kristersson.

Fewer and fewer are adopted

Over 50,000 adoptions have been carried out since Sweden began international adoption activities in the 1950s. But today, fewer and fewer are adopted, last year it was just 54 children.

The Adoption Commission was set up in the autumn of 2021 by the then S-MP government, against the background of, among other things, DN's revelations about how adopted children from countries such as Chile, China, and South Korea were stolen from their biological parents in the 1970s and 80s.

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By TTTranslated and adapted by Sweden Herald
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