Canada -- Moratorium imposed on adoptions from Nepal

Ottawa, June 4, 2010 – Canadian adoptions from Nepal have been suspended due to concerns about fraud and child trafficking.

A recent report by the Hague Conference on Private International Law revealed that there is strong evidence that documents are being falsified on a regular basis and false statements are regularly made about a child's origins, age and status – and whether they have been abandoned.

Based on this evidence, and the recommendations of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and with the support of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), the provinces and territories have agreed to suspend adoptions from Nepal.

Provinces and territories are responsible for approving adoptions. CIC is responsible for granting the adopted child citizenship or allowing them to immigrate as a permanent resident. HRSDC’s role is to encourage communications and co-operation with provincial and territorial, federal, and foreign government counterparts in the adoption community.

“We know how disheartening this must be for the parents concerned, but several authoritative sources, such as The Hague Conference and UNICEF, have raised serious concerns about the use of fraudulent documents and the prevalence of child trafficking in Nepal,” said Jason Kenney, Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism. “It is important to get a reformed system in place in Nepal before proceeding with adoptions.”

Proceeding with adoption cases from Nepal could violate Canada’s obligations under The Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoptions. Both CIC and HRSDC work in close coordination with provincial and territorial adoption authorities and are monitoring the situation in Nepal.

“There are a number of Canadian parents seeking to adopt children from Nepal who are understandably anxious but our priorities remain the best interests of the child and the prevention of child trafficking,” added Minister Kenney.

Follow us on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/CitImmCanada

For further information (media only), please contact:

Alykhan Velshi
Minister’s Office
Citizenship and Immigration Canada

Media Relations
Communications Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
613-952-1650
CIC-Media-Relations@cic.gc.ca

http://news.gc.ca/web/article-eng.do?m=/index&nid=537729



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

Prospective parents try to get Nepal adoptions back on track (Canwest News Service)

Prospective parents try to get Nepal adoptions back on track

BY TODD COYNE,

CANWEST NEWS SERVICE

APRIL 19, 2010

Ewa and Vincent Welland thought their prayers were answered last year when, after the death of their premature newborn son in 2001 and years of unsuccessful attempts at having children, their application to adopt a child was accepted by the government of Nepal.

In May, the Kamloops, B.C., residents were expecting to welcome home an orphaned Nepalese girl they have been calling “Pumpkin.”

But the Canadian government has halted all adoptions from Nepal after an international report released in February condemned that country’s adoption program.

The report from The Hague Conference on Private International Law recommended the international community cease adoptions from Nepal after learning that children from remote areas of the country had been falsely declared to be orphans and put up for adoption without their parents’ knowledge.

The report’s author, Hague secretary Jennifer Degeling, visited Nepal in late 2009 and found the falsification of documents about Nepalese children’s origins, age and family status was “occurring regularly in order to declare a child adoptable.”

The report from The Hague conference — which governs international adoptions — also cited “a lack of transparency and accountability for the money coming into Nepal (to the government and institutions) from intercountry adoptions.”

Ewa Welland acknowledged that adopting a child whose documents have been forged is a real concern in poverty-stricken countries like Nepal. But she feels it is the Canadian government’s responsibility to confirm the identities of the adopted children rather than cancelling all pending adoptions from the country.

“The problem is, I think, that Canada thinks that the adoptions are not transparent but it’s not willing to review the files to make sure that the children that are proposed to us are actually true orphans,” said Welland. “We are willing to pay someone to review the files, to scrutinize them, to make sure the children are orphans, but they just closed the program. It’s unfair.”

The Wellands are among several would-be adoptive parents of Nepalese orphans across the country who have banded together through letter-writing and now legal action to pressure Canada’s federal and provincial governments to lift the international restrictions.

Last week, the parents retained Vancouver-based immigration lawyer Catherine Sas to help them in their efforts.

They want to turn up the heat on Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) which, responding to directives from provincial governments, halted Nepalese adoptions due to the identity and transparency concerns.

Each Canadian province has its own adoption laws that apply to both domestic and international adoptions, but Citizenship and Immigration Canada ultimately decides whether to issue residency visas, said Sas.

“But they won’t issue the visas unless the provincial governments give them an approval for the adoption,” said Sas. “In March, the B.C. government suspended the adoption program based on the report.”

Sas is representing the Wellands and nine other families and individuals calling themselves the “Parents for Nepal 2009” — so-called because they put in their adoption applications last year — from B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Quebec.

They want Canada to follow the example of the U.K. and Sweden and “put people on the ground to verify the actual adoptions they have processed,” said Sas.

http://www.timescolonist.com/life/Prospective+parents+Nepal+adoptions+back+track/2926797/story.html

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

British Columbia closes

British Columbia closes

Nepal Alert

A February 2010 report issued by the Permanent Bureau of the Hague Convention cites significant problems with the Nepal adoption process. Concerns include falsification of documents, lack of financial accountability, and uninformed consent of birth family. Citizenship and Immigration Canada has also expressed concerns regarding the validity of documents issued from Nepal. A full copy of the Hague Report is available at:

http://hcch.e-vision.nl/index_en.php?act=publications.details&pid=4958&dtid=28

Since late 2009, British Columbia has advised impacted BC licensed agencies of overall concerns and the likelihood of Canada closing this program. Effective March 10, 2010, British Columbia has made the formal decision to not facilitate adoptions from Nepal. Exceptions will be made for only for those applying to adopt relatives.

Letters of no objection (LONOs) will not be issued by the Director of Adoption for Nepal. We appreciate that this is difficult news for families hoping to adopt from Nepal. Should new information be received from Canadian federal authorities and international authorities, this moratorium will be reviewed and updated accordingly.

http://www.mcf.gov.bc.ca/adoption/alerts_fact_sheets/nepal.htm

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