Between 2008 and last year, Maltese families adopted 175 local and foreign children – 92 boys and 83 girls. The majority – 91 – were from Russia while 20 children were adopted locally.

Family Affairs Minister Chris Said told Marlene Farrugia (PL) that the Appoġġ Agency had 39 pending local applications for adoptions – 34 from couples and five from individuals. These were waiting to be called to follow a preparatory course so that the process could proceed.

The children adopted were 27 from Ethiopia, 22 from Cambodia, five from Pakistan, three each from Albania and Bulgaria, two from Colombia and one each from Kazakhstan and the Philippines.