Judge questions Nunavut custom adoptions after baby returned to mother
IQALUIT, Nunavut — A Nunavut judge is pointing out problems with how the territory handles traditional Inuit adoptions after a mother lost custody of her daughter without her consent.
In a ruling last week that reversed a custom adoption for the three-year-old girl, Justice Susan Cooper said an institution with roots in the traditional past now must deal with adoptions arranged through social media, non-Inuit parents and Inuit children moving outside Nunavut.
“The face of custom adoption is changing,” wrote Cooper.
Custom adoption refers to the practice of a child being placed privately with non-biological parents, usually an extended family member. Often, it involves the child of young mother being raised by grandparents or an older aunt or uncle.