There is a relation between the adoption of Chinese children and the introduction in 1979 of the one-child policy in China. The one-child policy includes various exceptions. Rural families are allowed to have two children, if the first child is a girl. The one-child policy has led to coerced abortions and sterilisations. As most Chinese parents would rather have sons than daughters, newborn girls were often abandoned. As a result, the majority of children in Chinese orphanages are girls. Since the turn of the century, most children adopted from China have been girls, but last year, more boys than girls were adopted. Most of these children have disabilities. China follows a special procedure for these so-called ‘special needs’ children.
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