Great to see that the Taiwan forum is up and running! It looks like this forum is already providing some very valuable information and support to prospective adoptive parents. I had a look at the Taiwan Adoptions web site and I also have a few suggestions for prospective adoptive parents to perhaps consider when selecting an adoption agency or going via independent placement:
1. Where are the children being sourced from and how are they cared for prior to adoption placement? If you're concerned about HIV babies, please be aware that Taiwan's HIV rates have risen a lot lately. According to an article in the Taipei Times, April 7, 2007, titled, "CDC promotes condoms amid rising HIV rates", cites a Department of Health survey that showed that up to 70 percent of Taiwanese lose their virginity between the age of 15 and 24 and that only 30 percent of those used condoms the first time.
The sourcing question is also very pertinent in the case of independent placements. Taiwan has become a primary destination for people trafficking, according to the American Institute in Taiwan (the USA 'embassy' there) report, "TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS REPORT - 2006 REPORT TAIWAN". It states, "Taiwan is primarily a destination for men, women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual exploitation. Women from the P.R.C. and Southeast Asian countries are trafficked to Taiwan for sexual exploitation and forced labor. Women and children, primarily from Vietnam, are trafficked to Taiwan through the use of fraudulent marriages, deceptive employment offers, and illegal smuggling for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor." While I don't want to alarm prospective parents needlessly (I found Taiwan to be a very wonderful and friendly place), I do want to raise awareness of the necessity for due diligence and caution when selecting an independent adoption placement. If I was considering adopting a child, I would want to ensure that I'm not unwittingly at the receiving end of illegal activity.
2. How were the birth mothers treated? According to a newspaper article (I think it was in the China Post or the Taipei Times), May 10, 2007, titled, "Draft bill grants students full set of maternity rights", the Minister for Education Chen Yi-Hsing, said that Taiwan has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Asia. Assuming that this Chen's statement is true, in light of this relatively high proportion of pregnant teenagers, to what extent were the birth mothers fully informed of the full range of options available to them and provided with support (emotional, moral, etc before and after the relinquishment, as opposed to being heavily pressured or coerced, as sometimes happens in some countries)? If you're wondering what I'm referring to, have a look at the web site for the Association of Relinquishing MotherS (ARMS).
3. How much information can you obtain about the child's medical history, family background, other historical information about their lives before you adopted them (this will be extremely valuable to the adoptee when he/she starts wondering about their origins).
4. What sort of post-adoption support will the agency provide to the adoptee and the adoptive parents if the adoptee wishes to search for his or her birth family in future?
There is also useful information and resources from the Child and Juvenille Adoption Information Center (it's run by the Taiwan government)
Child and Juvenile Adoption Information Center
I also highly recommend the wealth of resources provided by The Community Services Center, it's in Taipei. Telephone: +886-(02) 2836-8134. It's run by (mainly American) ex-patriates for the foreign community in Taipei. They publish an excellent book called "Taipei Living", have tons of information, are bi-lingual and offer counselling services. I found them immensely helpful when I returned to Taiwan for a year.
I hope this information helps!