Some times I think certain “adoption related topics” are considered taboo in the adoption community. Searching in Kazakhstan is definitely one of those “hot” buttons. You’ll have adoptive parents who are told by their adoption agency that searching is “illegal” – while there is a bit a truth in that – if you decide to explore and have the marriage and family law translated – you’ll find it illegal for the birth family, prosecutor or judge to inquire or pursue information about the adoptive family or children after an adoption is complete; while the children and adoptive families are not barred from that requirement. I’m not here to argue if that is fair or not fair – I’m here to try to give some resources to families who wish to pursue searching for birth family in an international adoption.

Below are the two Yahoo Groups that I joined prior to our searching and found two gentlemen that search in Kazakhstan - Ruslan (found in the first Yahoo Group) and Tony (has his own Yahoo group):

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BirthParentContact/
Description
This group is for those who have adopted Internationally and are contemplating contacting their child's birth parents or birth family. It is also for those who have already established contact with their child's birth parents or other birth family.
It is a safe place for us to share our hopes, desires, fears and explore our emotions surrounding this topic.

http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/postadoptbirthparentseek/?yguid=49959539
Description
This group is for adoptive parents who have adopted a child from Russia or the former Soviet Union. It is run by an adoptive Dad and his wife, both unashamedly Christians and believers, who have already carried out (to date), well over 280 searches , leading in the main to contact between the family left behind in Russia and the adoptive parents. The aims of the group are amongst others, to answer the many questions adoptive parents have about such contacts, methods used, advise on the probabilities of success and will offer practical, free help where possible on setting you on the right road. It is NOT meant to be an advertisement for our services.

I’d also like to inform you about various resources on the internet that will help educate you in your decision to search:

http://forums.adoption.com/search-reunion-stories/

http://www.reunite.com/

http://www.reunite.com/adoption-records/international-search-resources.html

http://forums.adoption.com/international-search-reunion/

http://www.adopting.org/adoptions/adoption-search-and-reunion-resources.html

http://birthfamily-search.adoptionblogs.com/

Please know that I understand that searching is right for some families while not right for others – this blog is only intended to provide resources and not act as any type of advice or recommendation.

If you are an adult adoptee considering searching internationally – I think you may find this interesting…

Ten Questions to Ask Yourself by Hollee McGinnis
http://www.holtintl.org/mcginnis.shtml