Abducted children rescued by police can now be legally adopted, instead of being left stranded at welfare institutions waiting for their parents to find them.

According to the Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Public Security, children can be adopted after a 12-month search fails to locate their parents or other guardians. The ministries announced the decision in a jointly released notice.

An adopting family must sign an agreement stating that the child it adopts will be returned to the birth parents if they are located.