I am taken aback at the tone of Ms Healy Eames' questions. The whole question of Intercountry Adoption (ICA) is not one of procurement of children for would-be parents with "delivery dates" - it is a measure of last resort for finding homes for children for whom no other option exists.
The text from the Hague Convention '93 (see http://hcch.e-vision.nl/index_en.php?act=conventions.text&am...) reads as
"each State should take, as a matter of priority, appropriate measures to enable the child to remain in the care of his or her family of origin"
As we have read in a recent UNICEF report on ICA from Vietnam,
- ICA is frequently demand led from receiving countries such as Ireland
- ICA is linked to corrupt payments of "humanitarian aid"
- In Vietnam, there is no domestic adoption unit! only an intercountry one so in Vietnam at least, ICA is being used as measure of first resort rather than last.
- In Vietnam, there is evidence that parents (often poor & illiterate) who are relinquishing children are not aware of the impact of their actions and may even be tricked into doing so.
- The actual existence of bi-lateral agreements often delays the sending country from ratifying Hague and reforming their ICA practices and legislation
I'm looking for similar reports on Russia & would not be surprised if similar conditions existed there.
Given Ireland's own tragic record on ICA (when we sent babies to the US) and the reaction of those who came back looking for their families, I recommend that we exercise the greatest caution in proceeding with any other ICAs with any country not operating the most ethical systems.
Susan Lohan
Posted on 8 Dec 2009 10:38 pm
I am taken aback at the tone of Ms Healy Eames' questions. The whole question of Intercountry Adoption (ICA) is not one of procurement of children for would-be parents with "delivery dates" - it is a measure of last resort for finding homes for children for whom no other option exists.
The text from the Hague Convention '93 (see http://hcch.e-vision.nl/index_en.php?act=conventions.text&am...) reads as
"each State should take, as a matter of priority, appropriate measures to enable the child to remain in the care of his or her family of origin"
As we have read in a recent UNICEF report on ICA from Vietnam,
- ICA is frequently demand led from receiving countries such as Ireland
- ICA is linked to corrupt payments of "humanitarian aid"
- In Vietnam, there is no domestic adoption unit! only an intercountry one so in Vietnam at least, ICA is being used as measure of first resort rather than last.
- In Vietnam, there is evidence that parents (often poor & illiterate) who are relinquishing children are not aware of the impact of their actions and may even be tricked into doing so.
- The actual existence of bi-lateral agreements often delays the sending country from ratifying Hague and reforming their ICA practices and legislation
I'm looking for similar reports on Russia & would not be surprised if similar conditions existed there.
Given Ireland's own tragic record on ICA (when we sent babies to the US) and the reaction of those who came back looking for their families, I recommend that we exercise the greatest caution in proceeding with any other ICAs with any country not operating the most ethical systems.