Adoptions fall to their lowest level in a decade due to crisis

The number of adoptions in Greece hit its lowest level in a decade last year, a drop apparently attributable to the repercussions of the financial crisis as well as a nine-month strike by Greek lawyers which ended in September.

According to data made public by the Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT), 271 children were adopted in 2015 compared to 361 in 2014, a drop of 24.9 percent. The number of adoptions has been steadily declining since 2012, when a total of 543 adoptions were recorded.

The process of adopting a child in Greece via the existing legal channels is a very lengthy procedure, sometimes stretching to five years. Because of this some Greek couples have resorted to illegal adoptions over the years, spending thousands of euros to buy a child, often from foreign mothers who are exploited by criminal rackets that usually involve lawyers and gynecologists.