Amendment to inter-country adoption on cards
Himalayan News Service
2010-06-11
KATHMANDU: The Ministry for Women, Children and Social Welfare (MoWCSW) is working to amend the provision regarding inter-country adoption.
Mahendra Prasad Shrestha, secretary at the ministry, said the new inter-country adoption would follow ‘reformative process’ to make it compatible with the present time demand.
“The ministry is changing terms and procedure for inter-country adoption on the basis of the Hague Convention,” he said.
After Germany, Canada banned adopting Nepali children following reports of extensive cases of abuse, fraudulent documents about children’s origin and other related information.
The Canadian Immigration Ministry had pointed to a Hague Conference report on Private International Law that described ‘strong evidence’ of prevalence of fraudulent documents and false statements about children’s origins, age and status, as well as whether adoptees or potential adoptees were abandoned.
Addressing a national consultation on inter-country adoption and Hague Convention organised by Child Workers in Nepal Concerned Centre (CWIN-Nepal), Shrestha said Nepal was facing several problems regarding the adoption. He urged for suggestions from the authorities concerned for amendment of the provision on adoption.
Gauri Pradhan, founder-president of CWIN-Nepal and National Human Rights’ Commission member, said the country should formulate legal provision on the basis of international commitment. He urged the government to formulate minimum standard for domestic and inter-country adoption. “The reason behind the ineffectiveness of national policy is the lack of transparency,” he said.
European nations, particularly Italy, France, Spain, Germany as well as the US and Canada are the major recipients of adopted children from Nepal.
Applications for the inter-country adoption of 534 children have been filed this year, however, only around 400 children are available with the ministry. The ministry has handed over around 40 children so far since 2009. The ministry is working with 80 foreign and 44 domestic agencies for inter-country adoption.
The Himalayan Times
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