Return of adopted children is the subject of a documentary

The return of adopted children is the subject of the documentary What if you don’t want me?, still in production. The script addresses questions about interrupted adoptions and the difficulties of a new adoption after return. Filming began this month, in Rio de Janeiro and Curitiba. The launch is expected to be in the first half of 2026.

The idea for the film was born in 2011, when producer Eliton Oliveira read a report about child returns. Over the years, he researched the topic and listened to experts – doctors, psychologists, lawyers and representatives of guardianship councils – until arriving at the stories that make up the documentary.

In Rio, where filming has already started, the film narrates the trajectories of Bruno and Pedro. Bruno lived on the streets with his mother before being taken to a shelter, adopted and returned, until he got a second chance. Pedro was adopted by a couple of women, but the absence of the father figure he idealized made the adaptation painful and full of trauma and he asked to be returned.

“Our main story is in Vargem Grande, in Rio. It’s Bruno’s story. He had a drug-using and alcoholic mother. He ran away due to mistreatment. He lived in a shelter for nine months and made the decision to be adopted. The first family couldn’t handle all his load and returned him”, says the documentary’s director Ana Azevedo.

According to the filmmaker, “nine months later, he is adopted by a couple, Tati and Rogério, who are also our protagonists. He was a very aggressive boy, who exploded very easily. They told several stories of what happened, of destroying the entire house, of getting hurt, several episodes of violence. They talk about how difficult it was, but they saw him as a son. They managed to deal with his baggage.”

Rio de Janeiro (RJ), 10/08/2025 – Filming of the documentary What if you don’t want me? Photo: And if you don’t want me/Disclosure – And if you don’t want me/Disclosure

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Unprepared families

For Ana Azevedo, the adoption process is seen in a partial way. “We only talk about the beautiful part, about a family that opens up, but we don’t talk about the fact that this family has to be very prepared to receive any child. When the family is not prepared, we have these cases of return. We want to spark this debate so that the people who make this decision know what they will have to face.”

The director warns of the responsibility of those who adopt, as returning a child due to lack of adaptation to family life can have serious consequences.

“Children come with gigantic baggage. If the family returns it, this causes even greater trauma. Generally, they are slightly older children who come from the outskirts, have a history of abuse, with a family that neglected them,” explained Ana.

Situations like those portrayed in the documentary were accounted for by the National Council of Justice (CNJ). Of every 100 children adopted in Brazil, around nine have the adoption process canceled, according to the National Adoption and Reception System maintained by the council.

In total, the system records that 24,673 children and adolescents have been adopted in the country since 2019. Of this population, 2,198 were returned to foster care institutions (8.9%).

Exceptional and irrevocable

Although adoption is considered an “exceptional and irrevocable measure”, according to the Child and Adolescent Statute (ECA), childhood courts end up responding to requests for return so that the child or adolescent is not exposed to mistreatment, abuse, humiliation, indifference and neglect in the family that wants to give up on their adoption, points out the “Diagnosis on the return of children and adolescents in the stage of coexistence and adopted”, published in 2024 by the CNJ and the Brazilian Jurimetrics Association (ABJ).

“The return of adopted children, although a relatively rare occurrence, raises important questions about the adoption process and the preparedness of adoptive parents. Several factors, including children’s characteristics, family dynamics, and adoptive parents’ expectations, can influence the decision to return a child. Additionally, regional variations and the effectiveness of adoption teams can also play a significant role,” the document describes.

Also according to the study, “this phenomenon points to the need for a more comprehensive approach to the adoption process, which involves not only the preparation and continuous monitoring of adoptive parents, but also a robust support system for children before, during and after the adoption process.”

End of adoption

Despite considering adoption “exceptional and irrevocable”, the ECA provides that adoption can be abolished “when the resources for maintaining the child or adolescent in the natural or extended family are exhausted.”

The CNJ and ABJ study provides information on the reasons for the return. “The interviews with the people who returned it show that psychiatric diagnoses, the continued use of medication and other psychological issues of the child contributed to the discontinuity of the process. They claim that they were not prepared to deal with the situation and this factor also contributed to the difficulty in creating bonds”, notes the report.

The diagnosis warns of the effects on the psychological and emotional health of children and adolescents resulting from a failed adoption. “In addition to the impacts that the return causes on the formation of each person’s subjectivity and individuality, manifestations such as: feelings of guilt, sadness and low self-esteem; aggressiveness and other behavioral reactions that generate conflicting coexistence; difficulty in bonding; and the development of psychological disorders, such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and others.”