Overview

• On June 2, the Swedish commission recommended halting international adoptions after finding systemic abuses and fraud spanning several decades.
• Investigators confirmed child trafficking in every decade from the 1970s to the 2000s involving countries including Sri Lanka, Colombia, Poland and China.
• The commission found systemic gaps and false information in adoption documentation, such as incorrect birth dates and parentage records.
• Lead commissioner Anna Singer said the government had known about adoption irregularities very early on and could have intervened sooner.
• The report urged a formal apology to adoptees and families and noted that annual international adoptions to Sweden have fallen from over 900 in 1985 to just 14 so far in 2025.