Tanzania cautious over adoption of children
28
JUN
Tanzania cautious over adoption of children
BY AUSTIN BEYADI
As childless couples rush in developed countries to Africa to adopt children, Tanzania is taking cautious measures before giving away its future generation to foreigners. According to the Registration, Insolvency and Trusteeship Agency (RITA), only 32 children were adopted between July 2008 and June this year.
RITA Registration Assistant Joseph Mwakatobe told the Sunday News in Dar es Salaam that the number of adoptions in the country was low when compared with the number of children being orphaned in the country. “Disadvantaged children roaming in the streets could be eligible for adoption but the process is not an easy task”, he said.
He said that the adoption of children in Tanzania was difficult because of the existing legislation and ignorance of people on the procedures involved, arguing that a lot of Tanzanians were staying with other people’s children without following adoption processes, sighting the process as a major stumbling block.
He said that children are adopted only by Tanzanians who are over the age of 25 and that the processes start from the department of social welfare to the high court where an adoption order is issued. He said that prospective adoptive parents must be residents in Tanzania and that they must be 21 years older than the child.
Single male prospective adoptive parents may not adopt a female child except in special circumstances, he noted. “To adopt a child one needs to see a Social Welfare Officer who will provide you with an application form for child foster care,” said Mwakatobe.
Mwakatobe said that after completing the Application Form one needs to provide the District Social Welfare Officer with the names and contact details of at least three referees who have known you for at least three years and one family member.
Referees will be interviewed by the District Social Welfare Officer while prospective adoptive parents who are from overseas provides referee details to the District Social Welfare Officer who liaises with International Social Services in the home country of the prospective adoptive parents in order to obtain reference letters from overseas, he explained.
He said that a majority of adopted African children has lost their parents due to AIDS and receives little support from other family members, who can barely support themselves. Mwakatobe added that African adoption agencies would rather forego local adoptions but gladly embrace any wealthy foreign offer in order to find a home for the orphans.
Celebrities Angelina Jolie and Madonna have helped to bring awareness to the orphans and have increased foreign adoption popularity when it comes to choosing where to adopt. According to statistics, Americans adopted 1,725 Ethiopian children in the 12-month period ending September 30, 2008, about 70 per cent of all US adoptions from Africa, according to the US State Department. In 2007, 1,255 Ethiopian children were adopted by Americans.
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