Adoption to become easier

Adoption to become easier

By Natasa Radic / 30/05/2013 / No Comments

By Natasa Radic – Zagreb

Croatian Parliament discussed the proposal to ratify the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in connection with interstate adoptions. The Convention more clearly prescribes the legislation in the adoption issues, as well as the sanctions for the perpetrators of any illegal doings and manipulations when it comes to adopting children from other countries.

In Croatia there are currently 600 couples waiting to adopt children, and because of too strict laws that provide nearly all the rights to biological parents, the adoption becomes a complicating process and not many children get a chance to find a new home.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Policy and Youth Milanka Opacic, herself a single mother with an adopted child, said that the ratification of Convention means that the international adoptions will be possible under clear rules of the game. Recalling the recent cases of illegal adoptions from Congo when people who wanted to adopt children were used and manipulated she said that she hopes that those who were part of this adoption plot will get such a just punishment.

Although the parliamentary clubs of different political parties supported the Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in connection with interstate adoption, the ruling coalition warns of long turmoils of daily legal situation related to the adoption of children in Croatia.

The Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in connection with the Intercountry Adoption provides uniformed and faster way of proceeding in cases of inter-country adoption and simultaneously agrees to respect the principles of the Contracting States that accept the agreement to protect the best interests of the child.

-We have been waiting for three-and-half-year to adopt a child, but it did not happen yet. Because of the existing law it is not a problem adopt a child, but the problem emerges when the biological parents knock on your door as have all the rights – says the couple from Zagreb, Ana and Darijo K. They welcome a law that is coming, but recognize that slowly lose hope for themselves.

-Sometimes it seems that because of the stiff legislation we will never become parents – say Ana and Darijo.

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