Over the last four years, PEAR has been following the increasingly complicated custody case of “Baby Veronica.” As the story involved several states, the ICWA (Indian Child Welfare Act), a Supreme Court ruling, numerous other court rulings, Nightlight Christian Adoptions, and often erroneous coverage in the media, we suggest you read the history of this saga at https://www.facebook.com/StandingOurGroundForVeronicaBrown, http://keepveronicahome.com/index.php/my-daddy, http://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/story/baby-veronica, …
Month: October 2013
DOS Alert: Democratic Republic of the Congo Authorities Announce Changes to Suspension Exceptions and New Prohibition on Adoptions by Single Parents
October 23, 2013: Changes to limited exceptions to suspension on exit permit issuances: On October 22, the Congolese Ministry of Interior and Security, General Direction of Migration (DGM) clarified limited exceptions to the suspension of exit permit issuance referred to in the Department of State’s October 8 adoption notice. The DGM will issue exit permits to adopted Congolese children whose adoptions …
DOS Notice: Reminder of Kenyan prohibition against pre-selection of prospective adoptees
October 15, 2013: The Kenyan Adoption Committee has requested that the United States government remind adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents of Kenya’s strict prohibition against pre-selection of children by prospective adoptive parents. The Kenyan National Adoption Committee, Kenya’s Central Authority under the Hague Adoption Convention, is likely to reject dossiers and/or referrals for families that have pre-selected a …
DOS Alert: Guidance on Processing of Emergency Adoption Cases during Ghana’s Suspension
October 15, 2013: On April 30, 2013, the Government of Ghana suspended processing of all adoption cases, including intercountry adoptions, pending Ghana’s review of its current adoption procedures. This alert provides additional information on how the Ghanaian Department of Social Welfare (DSW) is implementing the suspension and how the suspension impacts processing of related Forms I-600, Petition to Classify Orphan as …
DoS Notice: Children Adopted From Vietnam Before July 1, 2009 Must Register with the Government of Vietnam to Retain Vietnamese Citizenship.
The 2008 citizenship law of Vietnam requires that children adopted from Vietnam before July 1, 2009 must register with overseas Vietnamese diplomatic missions prior to July 1, 2014 to retain their Vietnamese citizenship (Art. 13.2 citizenship law of Vietnam). The law does not require children adopted from Vietnam after July 1, 2009 to register because they automatically retain their Vietnamese …
PEAR STATEMENT ON THE PROPOSED “CHILDREN IN FAMILIES FIRST ACT”
The “Children in Families First Act of 2013” (http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/113/s1530), sponsored by Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, begins with the assumption that “The people of the United States recognize and believe that children must grow up in permanent, safe, and nurturing families in order to develop and thrive.” Unfortunately, that underlying assumption by the Senator and her co-sponsors is not …