DOS Adoption Notice: New Malian Law Potentially Restricts Intercountry Adoptions

In December 2011, the Malian National Assembly passed a new Code of Person and the Family. The Code includes a provision that could be interpreted to mean that only Malian nationals would be allowed to complete intercountry adoptions of Malian children. While the Malian Presidency did not issue a decree that the law is in effect, the U.S. Embassy in Bamako notes that some local officials and judges are applying the law. U.S. prospective adoptive parents who are adopting from Mali may encounter delays because of the confusion about the Code.

The U.S. Embassy in Bamako is seeking clarification from the Malian central authority, Direction Nationale de l’Enfant et de la Famille, on when the law will take effect and whether the relevant provision would prevent U.S. citizens who are not also Malian nationals from adopting from Mali. We encourage adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents considering initiating new adoptions from Mali to refrain from starting the process until further information is available.
The Department of State will provide updated information on adoption.state.gov as it becomes available. If you have any questions about this notice, please contact the Office of Children’s Issues at 1-888-407-4747 within the United States, or 202-501-4444 from outside the United States. Email inquiries may be directed to AdoptionUSCA@state.gov.

http://adoption.state.gov/country_information/country_specific_alerts_notices.php?alert_notice_type=notices&alert_notice_file=mali_1

People for Ethical Adoption Reform
www.pear-now.org