Ministry rejects call to end foreign adoptions - Khmer Times

The Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans, and Youth Rehabilitation has dismissed  a joint statement from human rights organisations requesting the governments of Cambodia and Italy to cease foreign adoption to avoid a revival of fraud that was common in previous adoption cases.

In a joint statement on Wednesday, four NGOs pleaded with the governments of Italy and Cambodia to halt initiatives that would reopen the international adoption market.

These non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were the Intercountry Adoptee Voices, the Cambodian Center for Human Rights, the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association, and the Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (Licadho).

These civil society organisations say that Cambodia stopped transnational adoption in 2009 after numerous reports of unethical acts related to adoption. Many countries banned adoption from Cambodia during the 2000s. But in recent months, Italy and Cambodia have begun to take steps to resume adoptions from Cambodia.

The NGOs claimed the Ministry of Social Affairs agreed to reopen the adoption process with Italy in May, and three Italian adoption agencies were allowed to operate in Cambodia.

The statement added that Cambodia will officially prepare a list of children who meet the conditions for adoption. Two children from one of the agencies are expected to be matched with Italian families by the end of this year, and a Cambodian delegation is invited to Italy next year to continue monitoring the adoption.

The Italian Adoption Committee’s website also states that nine adoption procedures are pending.

According to these civil society organisations, although Cambodia has enacted new laws governing international adoption since 2009, there is still a lack of protection against the corruption and fraud that happened in the past.

“The reopening of risky and irresponsible international adoption is against the practice of national and international law,” the NGOs said.

Spokesman for the Ministry of Social Affairs Touch Channy said that Cambodia had reopened its cross-border application process after adoption procedures were improved.

Channy said Cambodia announced that all countries wishing to adopt should open agencies and must cooperate with the Cambodian authorities under the conditions set by Cambodia.

He stated that ever since Cambodia launched cross-border adoption, no country has adopted children yet.

He urged these NGOs to expose adoption abnormalities.

According to a report by the Central Authority for Inter-Country Adoption, after Cambodia formally drafted a law on adoption, the government decided to reopen adoptions in the first quarter of 2020. However,  due to the COVID-19 crisis it was pending until May.

In the International Adoption Procedures of the Ministry of Social Affairs, it is stated that children who are subject to adoption are children of Cambodian nationality who have permanent residence in Cambodia; are under eight years old; and live in an orphanage or  under other appropriate care supervised by Ministry of Social Affairs.

The procedure adds that if a child is under the guardianship of a minor or under parental authority and facing a most difficult situation, then he or she is declared eligible for adoption in accordance with Article 13 of International Adoption Law.