New Information on Nepal Adoptions Posted

Interesting news out of Kathmandu yesterday, particularly the fees noted as well as the proposed timeframe.

KATHMANDU POST REPORT

KATHMANDU, Jan 1 - The government has invited applications from prospective international adoptive parents for adoption of Nepali orphans from Thursday after it completed work on listing international adoption agencies and Nepal-based orphanage homes on Thursday.

"Approved international adoption agencies can now submit applications for inter-country adoption process as the process of listing international adoption agencies and orphanage homes has been completed," said Toya Nath Adhikari, law officer at the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare.

The government had stopped taking new applications for adoption in March 2007 after irregularities were found in the process. Releasing a six-month study in September this year, UNICEF had said that an "industry" had grown up around adoption in which profit rather than the best interest of the child took centre stage. The study also found instances of children who were not orphans being given away for adoption by parents as well as orphanages.

Since the amount that prospective adopting parents had to pay was not determined, they often had to pay huge amounts for the baby of their choice and this involved a lot of bargaining between parents and orphanages.

The government came up with new provisions for registration of international adoption agencies and Nepali orphanages in June 2008. There are 68 international agencies registered at the ministry.

Of the agencies, 32 are from the U. S., eight from Italy, five from Spain and three from Canada. Such agencies should have at least three years' experience and they need to have permission from their respective countries for the purpose. Prospective adoptive parents may also approach the ministry through their embassy or diplomatic mission.

Likewise, only the 38 registered orphanages can give away Nepali children for adoption. All but two of them are based in Kathmandu Valley.

As per the new criteria, adoptive parents will have to give orphanages U.S. $ 10,000 within a year of adoption, U.S. $ 3,000 to the government after the adoption process is complete and U.S. $ 500 as service charge.

With the new regulations, the entire adoption process will be looked after by the ministry; while earlier, it was involved in only the final approval stage. Adoption applications were made to local district administration offices. There were cases of agents with expertise in bypassing regulations and due process to illegally procure Nepali babies for adoption by foreigners in exchange for large sums of money.

Ministry officials claim that the new terms and conditions have teeth to curb rampant corruption and loopholes in the process.

As per the new conditions, only approved agencies and orphanage homes will be allowed to submit lists of suitable children for inter-country adoption to the ministry.

As per the new terms and conditions, the whole process will be dealt with in coordination among the adoption recommendation committee, concerned embassies and interested parents without the involvement of orphanage homes.

Prospective adopters will not choose the baby personally and not be attached to them in case their application is rejected. Applications are received by the ministry and a matching committee will match the needs of the prospective adoptive parents with the children available. The parents will then be informed of the choice and if they are satisfied, adoption will take place. The whole process is expected to take about three months.

According to records kept at the ministry, altogether 2,244 children have been adopted by foreigners since 2000 after the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare started approving such adoptions. In the records, Spain, Italy, United States, France and Germany are the largest receiving countries of Nepali babies.