Overseas adoption query

Elenoa Baselala
Monday, February 07, 2011

THE Government will soon work on having inter country agreements on the adoption of children.

Social Welfare permanent secretary Govind Sami said his department had received enquiries regarding the matter from other countries, particularly our metropolitan neighbours, Australia and New Zealand.

However, because of the lack of an agreement between the countries, adoption of Fijian children by foreigners had been put on hold, Mr Sami said.

The department, however, is still processing local adoptions.

Mr Sami said the process could take six to eight months before approval was given for the legal adoption of a child.

He said, potential parents would be screened and put through various checks.

Following the adoption, there is a "cooling period" before the department will check on the child and the "new" family again.

Children who come under State care usually are either abandoned, victims of abuse or have nowhere else to go, Mr Sami said.

"The recent statistics from the ministry and the police reveal that between the years 1995 to 2009 a total of 1008 cases of child neglect were reported followed by the following: 666 sexual cases, 610 physical abuse, 430 beyond control cases, 314 abandon and lost cases, 250 cases of emotional abuse.

"The cost of neglect cannot be measured in dollars. It has lifelong repercussions to an individual and society," the permanent secretary said.