Ministry of Law and Human Rights: Thousands of Indonesian Children Taken to the Netherlands and Adopted Illegally

Jakarta — The Directorate General of General Civil Administration (Ditjen AHU) of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights (Kemenkum) has disclosed suspected illegal adoptions of Indonesian citizens’ children by foreign nationals. The incidents are alleged to have occurred after Indonesia’s independence. Kemenkum has detected thousands of Indonesian children taken to the Netherlands. However, many of the adoption processes are suspected to be illegal and involve human trafficking or document falsification. ‘We are conducting verification to deepen information and provide comprehensive clarification regarding the suspected practice of illegal adoption of Indonesian citizens by foreign nationals,’ said Head of the Citizenship Sub-Directorate, Directorate of Constitutional Affairs at Kemenkum, Backy Krisnayuda, in a statement on Saturday (23 May 2026). Backy said that to date many victims of illegal adoptions are struggling to trace their biological families and secure their citizenship status in Indonesia. One suspected victim example is named Casmat van Bloppoel (legal name currently). Backy added that based on Indonesian-origin documents, the victim is recorded under the original name Casmat. The victim was taken and adopted by a foreign national abroad since the baby aged three months; the identity was legally changed to Casmat van Bloppoel. The victim grew up in a village in the Netherlands and became the only brown-skinned child in that environment. ‘Currently many victims are seeking their biological origins, but the victims do not know and have never met their birth parents,’ said Backy.