Ireland-Philippines Inter-Country Adoption Agreement Signed

“Ireland has signed an agreement with the Philippines regarding the adoption process between the two countries. The agreement is being regarded as a positive development which will be in the best interest of children.

The chief executive of the Children’s Rights Alliance, Tanya Ward, has spoken about the importance of adoption agreements. The agreement was signed between the two countries in Dublin on Thursday.

“Given the sums of money involved, inter-country adoption can encourage malpractice and corruption, with children and prospective adoptive parents at risk of being exploited for financial gain. Children have been denied the right to grow up with their parents and families because of child trafficking, abduction, and through the deception of birth parents, “ she was quoted as saying.

The CRA is a group which represents organisations that work together to make sure that the rights of all the children and youngsters in Ireland are respected.

Ward has said that Ireland and the Philippines had signed an agreement at the 1993 Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Cooperation. The agreement regarding the respect of adoption between the two countries clearly outlines how the process would take place.

Dr Katherine Zappone who is the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, has commented that the convention provides an assurance for children, their families and the state. It provided an assurance regarding the appropriate procedures that have been followed and that the adoption was in the best interests of the child.

Zappone commented,“My aim is to have safe and secure adoptions. It is against this background that my department is working to create the appropriate legislation, policy and administrative frameworks which will ensure a well-regulated regime of adoption.”

She believed in the fact that the agreement between the Adoption Authority of Ireland and the Philippines Inter-country Adoption Board would suffice as a clear instruction and a clear solution to the inter-country adoption scene.

The agreement’s administrative section was drafted by the chairman of the Adoption Authority of Ireland, Dr. Geoffrey Shannon. He said that the agreement was a reflection on the legal diversity and the common goal that was being sought for by the two countries.

A total of ten children have been adopted, from the Philippines, ever since the start of the Adoption Authority in the year 2010.

The now signed administrative agreement is the third adoption related agreement that has been signed by the two countries.

In 2012, an administrative arrangement was signed between Ireland and Vietnam and followed by another one signed between Ireland and the U.S. in 2013.

There have been a total of 82 adoptions of the inter-country type in Ireland over the past year. Families have adopted children from countries like Bulgaria, China, Thailand, India, Poland, and Lithuania.

Inter-country adoptions can only happen between the countries that have signed the agreement at the Hague Convention or the country with which Ireland has a bilateral agreement.

However, many countries have restraints for the adoptive parents. The Philippines, meanwhile permits married heterosexual couples (Unlike China) who have been together for at least three years to apply for all adoptions. Single applicants are also permitted to apply for children between ages of nine and 15. The Philippines require applicants to have a BMI (body mass index) of less than 35. The country also asks for reference letters from their respective church, a minimum monthly income, to reveal all physical and mental conditions, and, also for the youngest applicant in a couple to be 45 years older than the child or less. More than 45 years older are not allowed to adopt.”

Inter-country adoption agreement signed between Ireland-Philippines[Big News Network 8/20/16 ]

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