International adoptions

What is the issue?

The Ruiz Postulate 17.4181 instructed the Federal Council to examine, in cooperation with the cantons, the practices of private intermediaries and the cantonal and federal authorities with regard to the adoptions of children from Sri Lanka in the 1980s. In its report, the Federal Council notes, among other things, certain weaknesses in the current legislation and practice in the area of international adoptions. A group of experts will now determine the need for action and will propose the necessary changes to legislation and practice.

What has happened so far?

• On 16 March 2018, the National Council adopted the Ruiz Postulate 17.4181 on investigating illegal adoptions of children from Sri Lanka in Switzerland in the 1980s, and instructed the Federal Council to examine the practices of private intermediaries and the authorities with regard to the adoptions mentioned above.
   
  
• Parliamentary debates (17.4181)
  (This document doesn’t exist in English. Please see the German French or Italian version)
  
  
• On 11 December 2020, the Federal Council approved the Postulate report (press release).
• On 8 December 2023, the Federal Council takes note of the intermediary report of the Experts’ Group and mandates the Federal Department of Justice and Police to present until the end of 2024 the final report of the Experts’ Group as well as a proposal for further work (press release).  

Documentation

Reports

• Bericht der Zürcher Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften (ZHAW), Januar 2020 (PDF, 3 MB, 14.12.2020)

  (This document is not available in English)

• Summary of the report by the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW), January 2020 (PDF, 91 kB, 14.12.2020)
• Bericht des Bundesrats zum Postulat Ruiz 17.4181 (PDF, 1 MB, 11.12.2020)
• Rapport du Conseil fédéral donnant suite au postulat Ruiz 17.4181 (PDF, 1 MB, 11.12.2020)
• Rapporto del Consiglio federale in adempimento del postulato 17.4181 (PDF, 1 MB, 11.12.2020)
• Federal Council report in response to the Rebecca Ruiz postulate 17.4181 (PDF, 409 kB, 21.07.2022)

  (Partial English translation)

• Zwischenbericht z. H. des Bundesamtes für Justiz, 28. März 2023 (PDF, 1 MB, 05.12.2023)

  (This document is not available in English)

Dossier

Further information

• Illegal adoptions

Press releases

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To the Federal Administration News Portal

Last modification 08.12.2023