Latvia’s Welfare Ministry has decided not to support Saeima’s Human Rights and Public Affairs Committee’s proposal to ban child adoption by foreigners. Instead the ministry proposes discussing improving existing regulations, as reported by minister Ramona Petravi?a’s advisor for communication J?nis Zari?š.
«Although the ban is planned only temporary until stricter regulations have been developed, experts are concerned preparation of amendments and approval may take a long time and many children may be denied the opportunity to be adopted,» says Zari?š.
Welfare Minister Ramona Petravi?a says that already every adoption case by foreigners is carefully evaluated, and in order to adopt children from Latvia, all applicants have to undergo an evaluation process: «In majority of cases this is the only option for these children to get a family, especially for teenagers and children with disabilities or other major health problems. Without a doubt the focus is always put on our country’s adopting parents, but if we cannot ensure this here, children should not stay in an institution for life. We cannot take away children’s rights to rewrite their lives.»
Welfare Minister’s advisor for disability policy affairs Jolanta Kalni?a-Levina stresses that the number of children adopted by foreigners is not high. Additionally, the most often teenagers are adopted abroad, as finding a family for them in Latvia is very difficult.
Teenagers also remain in the state system – institutions, without chances of ending up in a family, says Kalni?a-Levina: «We cannot claim every child in Latvia has the opportunity to live in a family in Latvia!»