To enhance the welfare of children and ensure adopted children are placed in safe spaces, the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security on Tuesday officially opened Guyana’s first Central Adoption authority, paving the way for the resumption of inter-country adoption.
The Central Authority is the country’s first and was established in accordance with the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Act of 2021.
It paves the way for the resumption of inter-country adoption in keeping with principles of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Children.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud on Tuesday cut the ribbon to officially open the facility.
In her remarks, Dr Persaud said the Central Authority will be governed by regulations to ensure the effective management of the adoption processes.
The Central Authority is the country’s first and was established in accordance with the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Act of 2021 (Photo: Ministry of Human Services & Social Security/ November 26, 2024)
“Although a Central Authority has been established and will now allow the inter-country adoption to resume, the procedure still involves the local process where cases will be assessed by the Child Care and Protection Agency, moved to the adoption board and then the final point is the court. That has not changed with regard to the legislation,” Dr Persaud explained.
She added, “It is important that we ensure that children have safety and security…we want a loving family, we want encouragement and motivation and we want those children most importantly to have stability in their life and when it comes to their future.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud on Tuesday cut the ribbon to officially open the facility (Photo: Ministry of Human Services & Social Security/ November 2, 2024)
“This is a serious step for our country but it ensures the paramount safety of children across the length and breathe of Guyana.”
The Central Authority consists of five members including two lawyers.
Chief Executive Officer of the Central Authority, Kaycina Jardine was strategically established to facilitate, whether directly or indirectly, the implementation of the 1993 Hague convention with respect to the protection of children with respect to inter-country adoption.
In doing this, she said a key role of the Central Adoption is to ensure that the rights of children are protected and they are placed in safe spaces with suitable families.
“The convention’s fundamental principles were formulated with the aim of the protection of child that is the safeguards that were established to safeguard them from child abduction, sales and trafficking.
“The best interest of every child should be held at paramount,” Jardine said.
The 1993 Hague convention, she said, provided a more comprehensive approach to processing inter-country adoption.
Under the legislation, any child who is under the age of 18 and is a resident of the country can be adopted. To adopt, an individual is required to be over 18 years old and not older than 65 years old.
The Central Authority is situated on Fifth Street, Albertown, Georgetown.
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