Children and adolescents taken care by the state of Rio de Janeiro: is adoption the solution?

ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to discuss whether adoption, in the form in which it is systematized in Brazil, by the National Adoption Register, may be the solution to the serious problem of child and adolescent in risk situation care, especially those living in the state of Rio de Janeiro. To this end, the secondary data of two official computerized systems were analyzed: the Child and Adolescent Module of the Public Ministry of the state of Rio de Janeiro, and the National Adoption Register of the National Council of Justice. It was concluded that, the way the system is designed, adoption is far from being the solution to the violation of the fundamental right to family life of these children and adolescents, and can, at very least, be a great opportunity, but only if changes occur in the criteria established by the National Council of Justice, of selection of children and adolescents according to their physical characteristics by those interested in adopting.