Dilani Butink instituted proceedings against the State of the Netherlands and the Kind en Toekomst Foundation concerning her adoption from Sri Lanka. Dilani argued that her adoption was unlawful because it did not meet the conditions for an inter-country adoption. This was the case because, among other things, common abuses in adoptions from Sri Lanka, such as document forgery, corruption, and exploitation of the position of vulnerable women.
The court rejected Dilani's claim in first instance, holding it was time-barred. Dilani has appealed against this judgment. In addition, after the court's ruling, the report of the Committee for the Investigation of Inter-country Adoption in the Past was published. The Committee confirmed that there were serious and structural abuses in inter-country adoptions in Sri Lanka and that both the State and intermediary organisations were aware of these abuses. Partly as a result of this report, the State decided no longer to argue that Dilani’s claim is time-barred.
On Thursday 24 March 2022, at 9:30 am, the Court of Appeal of The Hague will hear Dilani's appeal against the ruling of the District Court. The hearing will be public and anyone who wishes to attend may do so.
Previous news items on this case can be found here.