The Swiss government acknowledged on Monday that the country’s authorities were unable to prevent the illegal adoption of children from Sri Lanka until the 1990s.

In a statement, the government expressed its regret at the continuation of these adoptions “despite clear indications, in some cases, of serious violations.”

This issue arose several years ago after many adults who had been adopted as children in the 1980s and 1990s returned to Sri Lanka to search for their biological parents, only to discover that the information in their documents was wrong.

The Swiss government said that “despite early and clear indications of illegal adoption in Sri Lanka, the Confederation (Switzerland) and the cantons have waited a long time before taking appropriate action against violations.”

He said, “The neglect of the authorities has affected the lives of the adopted adults as adults to this day.” “The Federal Council regrets that the Federation and the cantons have not fulfilled their responsibilities towards children.”

The government said it would give more support to adopters investigating their assets and plans to launch a comprehensive historical analysis of potential illegal adoptions in Switzerland.

Switzerland recently recognized the suffering of Swiss children who were taken from poor families and single mothers and forced to work on farms until the late 1970s.