Authorities Refuse Permission To Sikh Couple To Adopt ‘White Child’:- Because of their “cultural heritage” in a strange act, a Sikh couple in the UK were refused permission to adopt a “white child”. They were further told to adopt a child from India instead.

The couple both in their 30’s, Sandeep and Reena Mander who are of Sikh-Indian heritage and British-born business professionals from Berkshire were quoted as saying, on the basis that white British or European applicants would be given preference, they were told not to apply to become the adoptive parents.

They would be pleased to adopt a child of any ethnic background, but  on the grounds that only white children were available, they were rejected as potential parents, said the couple to Adopt Berkshire adoption agency.

On the basis of race, adoption agencies are allowed to prioritize, in order to match children to prospective parents of the same ethnic background.

A child’s ethnicity should not be a barrier to adoption, said the Government. The Manders, whose cause has been taken up by Prime Minister Theresa May as their local MP, will take their case to court.

They are further applying to Slough county court, seeking a declaration that the policy should allow them to adopt. The law firm McAllister Olivarius is representing the couple and the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is supporting their case.

Last year, from Adopt Berkshire, an agency run by the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM), the Manders had an assessment and home visit from the agency.

They were allegedly told that, while in other respects they would be suitable adoptive parents, they could not apply because only white children were available for adoption and therefore white couples would be given priority. On the allegations made, the Adopt Berkshire has not yet made any comments. But, its website says that from different cultural, religious and sexual backgrounds, it welcomes applicants.

The couple had been trying to conceive for seven years, including 16 sessions of IVF treatment, and decided to adopt, said Mander, Vice-president of sales at Continuum Commerce Solutions, a payments technology company.

“Having attended introductory workshops organized by Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead (RBWM) and Adopt Berkshire, giving an adopted child - no matter what race - the security of a loving home was all we wanted to do,” he told the daily.

“What we did not expect was a refusal for us to even apply for adoption, not because of our incapability to adopt, but because our cultural heritage was defined as ‘Indian/Pakistani’,” he said.

At first, the Manders through the council’s complaints procedure tried to get the decision of the agency turned. The Local Government Ombudsman, is awaiting the outcome of their legal action.

SUPRAJA