On Friday, Greek police authorities arrested seven men suspected for illegal baby adoption in Magnesia, central Greece,
Five of the suspects are of Bulgarian origin and two are Greeks. The suspects were arrested while they were selling a Bulgarian baby to a Greek couple. According to the police, one of the two Greeks is suspected of being a lawyer.
During the last decades, the phenomenon of illegal baby trafficking and adoption is expanding in Greece due to the low birth rate and bureaucracy in the adoption process. Greece is considered as a haven for baby trafficking, however authorities do not take the necessary measures to tackle the problem.
It appears that many lawyers as well as doctors are involved in illegal baby adoptions. Last year the Greek media revealed a shocking case. A couple from northern Greece, unable to conceive a child, were informed on the “alternative way” by their doctor. A few months later he called the couple and told them to go immediately to the maternity clinic, where a Bulgarian woman had just given birth to a baby. The hospital staff registered the Greek woman as the mother of the baby.
The long waiting lists and the extensive bureaucracy required for a legal adoption are the main difficulties that candidate parents face. It can take up to five years to adopt a baby, against the European average of 2.5 years. As a result, the majority of the couples prefer to proceed with an illegal adoption.
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