Chapter 3. Description of Results

After being abandoned by parents children face such difficulties as how to survive. They pass through difficulties before being adopted. Kazakhstani government gives to children an opportunity to be adopted and have a loving family. Orphans are able to be adopted by local or international parents. However, by allowing international adoption, government does not protect children while they are abroad. Usually, adopted child should feel care from both his new parents and from his mother land. The research is divided into two parts: the first one is interviews and the second one is survey. In the first part is written the results of interviews from two people, who work in this sphere and three couples who had an experience in adoption. The second part includes the survey which was conducted among 25 people of different ages, life style, and position in life. Their answers are written by using statistical methods and different kinds of graphs and tables.

Part I: Interviews. The first interviewee was chief specialist in City Departmnet of Education in the South of Kazakhstan, Sauyrbayeva Ulzhalgas Myrzakasymovna. She did not agree to be recorded, but notes were taken. The interview took place on October 4 in her office, which is located in the Alibi Dzhangel’din’s street in Shymkent. The duration of interview was about 25-30 minutes. Mrs. Sauyrbayeva started the interview with expressing her neutral attitude to adoption, in general. On the one hand, her main idea of being against adoption, especially international, is that it promotes no responsibility and disorder for children among youth. However, she said: “It is better to be adopted by foreigners, than to grow up estranged from the family.” Moreover, she mentioned that the main reason of foreigners choosing is that here is simplified system of adoption. “In foreign countries couples who desire to adopt a child should wait up to 10 years. As in Kazakhstan it is possible to do it during 6 months, in some cases even less”, - said the specialist of City Department of Education. The majority of children who are moved to another country are children at the age of half of year (6 months) to 3 years. The one interesting fact is that while local families eschew getting a child with some diseases, foreigners do not pay attention to it. There are examples when they adopt children with such diseases as HIV, cleft lip, cleft palate, etc. As Ulzhalgas Myrzakasymovna said: “Disease, which is considered to be fatal, are treatable abroad. At the same time we cannot allow adopting healthy children, because we need them ourselves.” The process of adopting is quite complicated. To take children abroad, families should pass through conversation and a medical inspection. If they have some problems with health, or if financial status is not stable; then are not allowed to take a child. If they successfully passed the interview, they go to meet with a child. The total time, which is given for communication with a child, is from 14 days to 1 month. When adoptive parents and adopted child like and are bonded to each other, they go to consulate and court to get conclusion which permits them to take the child to another country. After adopting child, adopted family must report on the development and well- being of the child every month. If there are problems with child’s health or it is complicated to build friendly friendship between each other abroad, child can be returned back to his mother- land. But such situations are not common in Kazakhstan. Even so Ulzhalgas Myrzakasymovna agreed that today international adoption is the best solution for orphans, because it is the only opportunity to have a family.

After getting the interview from legal agency which deals with international adoption, it was interesting to know the process of adoption by illegal way. It was decided to go to a maternity hospital which is located on the Tauke Khan’s street in Shymkent, South of Kazakhstan. Interviews were conducted with nurse and an obstetrician- gynecologist. They preferred to stay anonymous. The interview was held on October 6 in hospital of newborns. The interview was approximately 15 minutes in the square of that hospital. They agreed to answer some questions and give “true” history of orphans and how they are adopted. Interviewees started by saying that there are about 8-10 children who are adopted per year from their hospital. That process is confidentioal. The majority of couples have acquaintances who used to have an experience in such dilemmas. Couples, who want to get a child, come to this hospital with prepared documents and agree about the price. Usually it is $2500-3000. After passing some time, doctors from hospital call them and say about prepared child. The answer to question: “How do you choose children who will be adopted? ” they answered that there are lots of woman who has a child, and among there are such of women who are not going to get and bring up a child. Before birth they say that they do not want this child, and in such cases ask her to write an etemption from a child. Only after such process, children are able to be adopted by new parents.

The next interview was taken as a sample of the illegal adoption. The interview was conducted on October 7 at the Zhylkozhayev’s home. They are couple, Bakhtiyar and Leila Zhylkozhaevs, who have been married for 20 years, but had no opportunity to have a child. They are Shymkent’s citizens. They told that during 15 years they tried to recover, went to different kinds of shamans who promise to help to concieve a child, but everything was useless. And when they lost any hope of having a child in a naturally way, they heard about getting a child from hospital. They like that way because in documents it is written that they are the real parents and no one else. They began to find somebody who knows about it. It was unreal to adopt a child without acquaintances. After finding such people, they passed through all medical inspections and financial committments, they went to hospital. They were told that they should pay $ 4500 to make all necessary documents. After 2 weeks, some doctors called from that hospital and said that they could pick up their daughter. Now 3 years have passed and they have happy and exemplary family.

The following interview was with my neighbor’s family, Umiraliyev’s family. The unstructured interview was held on October 9 and it lasted approximately 40 minutes. After the death of two sons, Mr. and Mrs. Umiraliyev could not recover. At that time their elder daughter, Bibigul Bekbosynovna Umiraliyeva, worked as head nurse in the department of children’s neurological intensive care unit of the regional hospital. During a night shift at the threshold of the hospital was abandoned a 2 month-old baby. She took care of him until his recovery. When it was time to give him to the orphanages’ home, she and her family decided to adopt him. Bibigul’ began to collect all necessary documents and definite amount of money, because her parents were pensioners and her salary was not so high. She had often appointments with representatives of the court and guardianship. After 6 months they could adopt that boy. Bibigul’ has issued him as her own son. Since that accident, 5 years have passed. Now his name is Umiraliyev Bauyrzhan. He has a happy and loving family.

The next interview was conducted from my classmate’s mother, Yestemessova Gul’zhan. The interview took place on November 1 via the telephone. The duration of interview was 10 minutes. Mrs. Gulzhan said about her experience in adoption from country to country. She adopted a child, Yerzhan, in China from the orphanage. The reason of her adoption exactly from China is that she was their to treat from some diseases. At the same hospital their department of homeless children. One day little child took her hand and did not put her. Since that time, he was often quest their. After coming home, she missed him and persuade her husband to adopt that child. He agreed because they had the only son who was 17 years. The procedure of inter country adoption prolonged to 10 months. It cost to $8000. First of all, she collected all necessary documents from Kazakhstan and brought them to China. Collecting documents from both countries, she removed them to the consulate, then to the court. In Kazakhstan she waited for 2 months, when the judge will apply her documents and permit her to get a child. After publishing decisions, she went with that document to China and came back with her little son.

After getting interviews about legal and illegal ways of adoption, and examples of domestic, but illegal, and inter country legal adoption, it was decided to take an interview from the court. The reason for this is that the last decision of adoption remains with them. The last interview was taken from the General Prosecutor for minors of the South Kazakhstan, Alimbekov Murat Maakhambetaliyevich. The interview was conducted on October 2 by phone and it lasted about 30 minutes. The domain information, which was given by him, was about orphans in general and all possible solutions of helping them. He began his speech with giving the definition of “orphans”. According to him, orphans are children who are stayed without parents and any guardinas. Until 18 year old, orphans are under the tutelage of Department of Education. After they reach 18 years they are moved to the wing of the social security. Orphans receive a monthly allowance equal to approximately 21000 tenge. They are not allowed to get their money until they are 18. In cases when a child is adopted by local adoptive parents, he can receive his allowance. Whereas if parents are foreigners he is not able to get his money. The reason for this is that government of Kazakhstan Republic does not permit to adopt if foreigners’ living style is less than normal. The decision of permitting or not depends only on court.

Part II: Survey. The second part of the research paper is survey which was conducted among friends and relatives. It was planned to give surveys to people of different ages, life style, and position in life; however respondents were students not older than 30. The survey was made by personal contacts. The total number of respondents is 25 people (12 males, 13 females). They answered 11 open-ended questions. Figure1, which is given below, shows the prevalence of knowledge about international adoption among Kazakhstani populaiton.