Hague Convention Enters into Force in Fiji

Fiji has had specific intercountry adoption administrative arrangements established with Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Island countries for the purpose of adoption of infants from Fiji to those countries. Australia has had their Fiji program on hold since May 2011 awaiting the Hague Convention to enter into force.

There have been 33 adoptions to the US since 1999.

There was a publicized New Zealand case at the end of 2011  that involved an illegal adoption and extortion.

“The Ministry of Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Alleviation in Fiji is warning people looking to adopt children to go through the proper channels to avoid being extorted.

The Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Govind Sami, says there are many applications pending from people in New Zealand and Australia wanting to adopt children from Fiji.

Mr Sami says he issued the Ministry warning following a recent adoption attempt that went awry.

“It was a case of a New Zealander who had gone through the illegal adoption process and the court made a damning statement in relation to that person who was trying to get money out of the innocent family.”

Mr Sami says the family almost lost thousands of dollars through extortion.

He insists that people looking to adopt Fiji children register with the Ministry of Women, Social Welfare and Poverty Allevation, which overseas legal adoption in Fiji.”

Fiji Social Welfare Minister issues a warning to adopting familiesa>

[Radio New Zealand International 12/1/11]

A 2010 article explains how the international adoption policy was being set up and gives foster care statistics.

“THE Department of Social Welfare has been liaising with New Zealand and Australian authorities on an Inter-Country Adoption policy.

Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation media liaison officer Anshoo Mala said the Department also working on foster care for children under the care of the State.

“Consultations are underway with religious organisations about this initiative,” she said.

The department earlier said they had a principal of favouring local adopters over those from abroad.

“Human trafficking is a concern and in this way, the department is better able to monitor and track children after adoption,” she said.

“There is no allowance for families that adopt children from the department. Majority of our couples are childless and there are other families and couples that are willing and have the heart and commitment to care and bring up a child.

“There are requirements for both adoption and foster parents. One of these is the provision of police reports and character references by someone reputable in the community who knows the couple.”

Ms Mala said the adoption process of children under the care of the State depended on the availability of the child that was matched to the couples applying.

“Sometimes the process is between 3-12 months or longer because the match will have to be considered,” she said.

“The National Adoption Panel meets monthly. Post placement reports are provided three months after placement, six months after placement and another six months down the line a post-adoption report is expected.”

She said the department was mandated to look into the interests of children under the Juveniles Act.

 

Children under state care in 2010

*4 children available for adoption

*8 foster children working towards final and legal process of adoption

*3 children whose status are yet to be confirmed for adoption

*3 children successfully placed back with their families”

Foster care for children

[Fiji Times 9/11/10 by Geraldine Panapasa]

18 children doesn’t seem to be much a crisis, does it? But,there are orphanages in Fiji as well. Government run homes include Mahaffy Girls’ Home and Boys Centre.Treasure House claims to have 24 children in it .Religious ones include St. Christopher’s Home (Angelican Church); Dilkusha Girls’ Home and Veilomani Boys’ Home (Methodist Church) and Chevalier Hostel (Catholic Church). Apparently, there are a few run by families. One is called Sambeto Orphanage in Nadi. I found a statistic from 1994. The religious homes held between 11 and 39 kids each for a total of 213 children. That number seems to have been greatly reduced over the past decade. I found a 2007 statistic for St. Christopher’s home that had 17 children all aged 13 to 17. St. Christopher’s appears to have a maternity home attached to it as well.

Fiji seems to encourage orphanage tourism, especially for young Australians and New Zealanders in their “gap year”.

US DOS issued a notice on September 4, 2012, pasted below:

DOS Fiji Notice
“Notice: The Hague Adoption Convention Enters Into Force for Fiji
On August 1, 2012, the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-Operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption entered into force for Fiji. The Department of State has not received information from the Government of Fiji on its plans for implementing the Convention. The United States cannot process Convention intercountry adoptions until the Government of Fiji implements an effective Convention intercountry adoption process.

We caution adoption service providers and prospective adoptive parents that, to ensure that adoptions from Fiji will comply with the Convention, important steps must take place before intercountry adoptions between the United States and Fiji resume. Adoption service providers should neither initiate nor claim to initiate adoption programs in Fiji until the Department of State notifies them that it has resumed adoptions in Fiji.”

 

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