(CNS): The premier has agreed to examine the possibility of asking the United Kingdom to extend the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-country Adoption to enable Caymanian families to adopt children from overseas. Following the presentation of a private member’s motion brought by Chris Saunders, the opposition member for Bodden Town West, Alden McLaughlin said Saunders had done a good job persuading the government to look at the issue.
In his presentation Saunders said that he was aware of Caymanian families unable to have children who have sought to adopt from overseas because the pool for babies or very young children available for adoption locally is very small. But they are finding that in many cases, when they look further afield, they are prevented from adopting even when a suitable match is found because the countries of the children’s birth are signatures of the Hague convention and so cannot allow inter-country adoption with a non-member.
He asked government to see if the convention could be extended to Cayman to widen the pool for at least a few local families.
“All we are asking for is for the government to reach out to the UK to see if they can extend that convention and at least maybe two or three families can start a family of their own,” he told the Legislative Assembly, adding that it could expand the options for people who have had challenges starting a family.
The convention is designed to facilitate adoption of children around the world in the best interest of those children while protecting them from potential trafficking.