At the end of the month, the United States will enter into an agreement known as the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. It's an agreement between 70 countries that will regulate the adoption processes between them.

"The regulations also try to ensure adopted children are not exploited. It's a process [Jamie] Chmielewski says will give comfort to parents like [Stefanie] Leist who is now looking to adopt her fourth child from China... With the regulations ensuring consistency, Chmielewski says she expects the numbers of people adopting from countries like China to only grow from here."

The Hague Convention requires all participating countries to give accreditation to adoption agencies that assist in international adoptions. Requirements for the accreditation are spelled out in the Convention. Read more at 13MAZ.com.

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Labels: agencies, inter-country_adoption, rules

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For the third straight year, the number of foreign children being adopted by U.S. families has dropped dramatically. In the past two years alone, foreign adoptions have dropped 15 percent. Tighter adoption requirements in China and Russia are at the top of the list of causes for this new trend.

"[Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Bartholet] said China and Russia reflected a trend in which countries opened themselves up to international adoption, then scaled back."

In addition to China and Russia, Guatemala's adoption process is beginning to slow and could all but stop as the government tries to impose new regulations on its adoption industry. Some experts view the decline as a good thing that could open up adoption opportunities in other countries like Kenya and Peru.

Labels: international, foreign_adoption, rules

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Lady Justice Martha Koome, speaking at a forum to mark the Day of the African Child, said that the loose information regarding adoption rules and regulations contributes to child trafficking in Kenya. She called for closer scrutiny of adoption applicants, especially in more rural courts.

"She said previously, persons who wanted to overlook the procedures used to file adoption matters in High Court stations outside Nairobi where they would find judges who were overwhelmed by other judicial work and managed to easily obtain orders, especially in cases of international adoption."

Lady Justice Koome suggested that international adoptions should be given the lowest priority, with every effort being made to place children within their family network or immediate community.

Read more at AllAfrica.com.

Labels: international, rules, Africa

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The Central Adoption Resource Agency Chairman J.K. Mittal says the Indian government has plans to ease the rules governing adoption of Indian children by people in other countries.

"He said India's adoption laws are very complicated and lengthy and often discourage foreigners from adopting children here."

The current process requires foreigners who which to adopt an Indian child to be sponsored by a licensed agency in their country that is also able to work in India. Currently, direct adoption of Indian children by foreigners is strictly prohibited, which likely accounts for the sharp drop in inter-country adoptions, from 1,298 in 2001 to just 853 in 2006. Read more at TheHindu.com.

Labels: international, laws, rules

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