Guyana will be resuming international adoption in first quarter of 2024.
In an interview with this publication, Human Services and Social Security Minister, Dr Vindhya Persaud revealed that an average 200 children benefitted from foster care services through the Childcare and Protection Agency, this year.
She also that the central authority that’s responsible for ensuring the inter-country adoption of children process is seamless, has been establish, and as a result, Guyana is prepared to handle overseas adoption.
“we have established the central authority; we have the bill which is now an act in place that would have been amended to be compliant with the Hague Convention so we’ll be resuming international adoption early in the year and also, we’ll be continuing our local adoption so that’s quite significant going forward” Persaud stated.
Persaud explained that while the services will be operation in 2024, childcare and protection efforts will continue per normal.
In fact, she disclosed that government is looking to increase children shelters capacity by constructing, remodeling and rehabilitating facilities.
“We are currently and in next year remodeling a number of our shelters. We have rehabilitated the Sophia kitchen and we’re working on upgrading the whole Sophia complex and we are working on two programmes that really am very passion about and that is the parenting programme…we’re also working on the very child safe community programme where we’re going into communities and working with not only parents but people in the community and children to keep children safe” Persaud explained.
At the time when the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Act 2021 was passed, it was reported in the National Assembly that some 247 children from Guyana were adopted by both non-Guyanese and overseas-based Guyanese between 2013 and 2020.
Moreover, in 2014 and 2018, the Human Services and Social Security Ministry recorded the highest rate of international adoption – that is, 22 per cent – by non-Guyanese. And, in 2013 and 2018, it recorded the second highest rates of adoption by overseas-based Guyanese.
Guyana signed onto the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption in February 2019. However, the country had to update its local adoption laws in order to give effect to the tenets of the Convention.
The Hague Convention provides safeguards for children and families involved in adoptions between participating countries and also works to prevent the abduction, sale, or trafficking of children.
In August 2021, the passage of the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Bill 2021 brought Guyana’s laws into conformity with international best practices under the Convention.
