2010 Special Commission of the Hague Releases its Conclusions and Recommendations

The Special Commission on the practical operation of the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 (on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption) met June 17 - 25 at Carnegieplein, The Hague to "review the practical operation of the 1993 Convention and to achieve consensus on the main elements of a Guide to Good Practice on Accreditation and Adoption Accredited Bodies."*

The Conclusions and Recommendations of the Special Commission are now available online at the Hague website:

http://www.hcch.net/index_en.php?act=text.display&tid=45

Those interested in following adoptions from Nepal (and the controversy over Nepal's absence from the Special Commission due to the screening of Paper Orphans) may wish to read the Report of Meeting No. 2 held on June 18, 2010, which included the screening of the documentary. This document can be downloaded here:

http://www.hcch.net/upload/adop2010/PV-02-EN-16-July-Circ-Let.doc

Documentary Film: Paper Orphans

Before the film was screened, the Chair invited the Secretary to make some preliminary remarks. Ms Degeling (Secretary) noted that the film was about adoption in Nepal, and that Nepal had formally requested to remove the screening of the film from the agenda. However, the Permanent Bureau was of the view that the agenda should remain unchanged, and had already responded to Nepal accordingly. If Nepal had been present, it would have been given the opportunity to express its concerns to participants. In the interests of transparency, the Permanent Bureau would make copies of its exchange with Nepal available to participants.

An independent expert, Mr Aguettant, introduced the film, noting that it depicted practices that did not just exist in Nepal, but also in a large number of other States. Based on firsthand accounts, the film highlights the effects of malpractice in intercountry adoption on children, as well as on the biological and adoptive parents. Mr Aguettant considered that such malpractice could be eliminated by supporting biological parents and their communities, which have generally been ignored by policy makers.

In addition to the Conclusions and Recommendations, the final drafts of the following documents are also available to the public:

• Info Doc. No 1 - Abduction, sale and traffic in children in the context of intercountry adoption (David M. Smolin)
• Info Doc. No 2 - "The sins of the ‘saviours' ": child trafficking in the context of intercountry adoption in Africa (Dr Benyam D. Mezmur)
• Info Doc. No 4 - Executive summary: Haiti: ‘expediting' intercountry adoptions in the aftermath of a natural disaster... (International Social Service)
• Info Doc. No 5 - Guidelines on post-adoption services and the use of video interaction guidance

We commend the participants and presenters at the Special Commission for their hard work and dedication to bringing attention to the ethical and legal processes of adoption and to protecting children around the world. PEAR highly encourages adoptive and prospective adoptive parents to read the reports and educate themselves on the issues, realities, and myths surrounding intercountry adoption and the Hague.


*Draft Agenda, The Special Commission on the practical operation of the Hague Convention of 29 May 1993 on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption.


Ethics, Transparency, Support
~ What All Adoptions Deserve.
http://www.pear-now.org/