Van Steen discussed the issue during a lecture in Thessaloniki organised by the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center for Public and Humanitarian Service at Anatolia American University and the Vafopouleio Cultural Centre.
Van Steen, who has extensively researched international adoptions and wrote the book Children Wanted from Greece, said around 4,000 Greek children went to families in the United States during the Cold War, while another 600 went to the Netherlands and 50 to Sweden.
Van Steen has worked to help Greek adoptees in the United States trace their roots. Together with Mary Cardaras, who was herself one of the adopted children, she met with the Greek prime minister in September 2024.
According to Van Steen, the prime minister responded positively to their request and referred to the need to address a historical injustice.
Six months later, a ministerial decision created a pathway for adoptees to regain Greek citizenship.
Van Steen highlighted what she described as a shift by the Greek state from excluding to including the “adopted diaspora”, which she said wants to contribute to its country of origin.
She also stressed the need for greater access to historical records. Three Greek institutions that housed children who were later adopted abroad currently provide access to relevant files.
Van Steen said all archives should eventually open and called for research into the adoptions to continue.
Aigli Brousko, an emeritus associate professor of social anthropology at the American College of Thessaloniki (ACT) and author of Because of the Crisis, I Give You My Child, presented research that challenges the belief that thousands of children from Thessaloniki ended up with American families.
Her research into the records of the Agios Stylianos Children’s Home found that of around 2,000 children placed for adoption by the institution during the 20th century, only 85 went to families in the United States.
Were the adoptions in the child’s best interests?
Mina Filiopoulou, an attorney at the Supreme Civil and Criminal Court of Greece specialising in family law and president of the Supervisory Committee of the Vafopouleio Cultural Centre, said the adoptions of that period followed court decisions and were formally legal.
However, she said that legal status did not answer the fundamental question of whether authorities had adequately protected the interests of the children.
Christos Aliprantis, executive director of the Michael and Kitty Dukakis Center, moderated the event. He highlighted Van Steen’s contribution to securing a pathway to Greek citizenship for adoptees who grew up abroad and restoring their voice in Greece’s public debate.
Van Steen holds the Koraes Chair of Modern Greek and Byzantine History, Language and Literature at King’s College London.
Her research will also reach the stage at the Maria Callas Theatre in Athens, with the production For Three Refrigerators and a Washing Machine scheduled for November 6-8 and 13-15.