The devastating landslides that struck Kerala’s Wayanad district on July 30th, wiping out three villages in the Meppadi panchayath, have not only sparked an outpour of support and compassion from across the state, but also led to an unexpected surge of inquiries from couples eager to adopt children orphaned by the disaster.
Amidst the relief efforts, media houses and government offices have been inundated with phone calls from people, expressing their desire to adopt child survivors of the landslide. "Have you been to Wayanad? Have you seen any orphaned children there? I would like to adopt one. If I go there, will they give me a child?" a 60-year-old woman from Thiruvananthapuram asked TNM, following our reportage from the landslide-hit areas.
However, authorities have made it clear that any adoption must follow standard legal procedure.
According to sources from the Meppadi panchayath, only five children have lost both parents to the tragedy– two of them are five years old, while the remaining three are over 14 years old. They are currently under the care of their relatives. Additionally, six children have lost one parent in the landslides.
Veena George, minister for Health, Women, and Child Development, emphasised that while the outpour of concern for children is touching, any adoption must comply with the legal process.
“There have been a lot of adoption inquiries, both to government offices and to media houses, with hundreds of calls. We should understand that very few children in Wayanad have lost both parents. All of them are under the care of their relatives. There is no child victim in Wayanad who needs to be placed under the government system and later moved into the adoption process,” the minister stated on Thursday, August 8th.
Anyone wishing to adopt a child must register with the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA) and wait their turn. They cannot specifically choose children from Wayanad, but can only adopt a child who is next in line, awaiting adoption.
Dr Shanavas Palliyal, Deputy Manager at Dr Mooppan’s Medical College in Wayanad, told TNM that initially, three children who had lost their parents were treated at Moopan’s hospital. "We provided these children with physical and mental care while they were admitted. Later, their relatives arrived, and all of them were taken home by close family members," he said.
Abdul Azeez, whose five-year-old granddaughter survived the landslides, shared the story of how he is holding on to the child, with TNM. "My daughter, her two elder children, my son-in-law, and his entire family lost their lives in the landslides. The next morning, the youngest grandchild, who is five years old, was found by some neighbours. We located her in a camp, and she is now with us. She is the only hope left for us, and we will raise her as our own," he said.
Of the five children who lost both parents, like Azeez’s granddaughter, only one is still under treatment. The others are either in relief camps or with their relatives.