Uruguay: Woman sues child welfare, judiciary over adoption case

Rosana Delgado, who served as the adoptive mother for a baby for months in 2025, is taking legal action against Uruguay's child welfare and judicial bodies. The lawsuit, filed after a failed conciliation hearing, targets the National Children and Adolescents Institute (INAU), the Judiciary, and the Ministry of Social Development (Mides) for alleged "damages and moral harm."

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they went directly to deny the facts, close the conciliation record and wait to see if a lawsuit arrives, which I already anticipate will happen, because Rosana does not want to leave things like this.

Delgado's lawyer, Ignacio Durán, told El País that the organizations first placed the child, referred to as Itzaé, with Delgado and then removed her eight months later through a judicial resolution. He attributed the situation to a "gross administrative error" by INAU that could have been avoided.

During the conciliation hearing, Durán noted that the defendants "went directly to deny the facts" and refused to reach an agreement. He emphasized that Delgado's pursuit is not purely financial, stating that she would forgo legal action if she could arrange visits to see the child again. However, the family is seeking US$250,000 for moral damages and approximately US$6,800 for emergent damages.

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Even if INAU, for example, managed with the new adoptive parents of the girl some visits for her, it invalidates any legal action in order to see the girl again.

INAU President Claudia Romero stated that an administrative investigation is ongoing and prevents immediate conciliation. The baby was initially given up for adoption at one month old, with no contact from her biological family. However, her uncle later located her, and a court ruled that the biological family had priority, leading to the child's removal from Delgado's care.

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the administrative investigation started by the agency at the beginning of the year has not yet concluded, so conciliation cannot be accessed.