Liz McManus TD

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Prospective Adoptive Parents Plunged Further into Limbo

Issued : Monday 18 January, 2010

Wicklow TD Liz McManus has said that parents hoping to proceed with adopting children from countries like Vietnam have been plunged further into limbo thanks to the Minister for Children’s decision to shelve negotiations on a new adoption agreement with Vietnam.

"I was deeply disappointed with the decision by Minister Barry Andrews to shelve the negotiations as this will have the effect of suspending inter-country adoption from Vietnam until such time as the Adoption Bill 2009 has been enacted and Ireland and Vietnam have both ratified the provisions of the Hague Convention", said Deputy Liz McManus.

"Many people living in Co. Wicklow who wish to adopt children from Vietnam have contacted me about the long delays with inter-country adoptions. This issue has been on the agenda for 17 years now and the persistent foot-dragging by successive governments has brought us to a situation where the hopes of prospective parents to adopt a baby from Vietnam have been dashed. This includes a number of cases where the process is at an advanced stage.

"There are serious concerns over how adoptions with Vietnam have operated and the recent UNICEF International Social Service report on adoption from Vietnam demonstrated very serious systemic shortcomings in the Irish adoption process in Vietnam.

"It questioned the activities of the Irish mediation agency, ‘Helping Hands’ in relation to requiring an €11,100 fee from adopting couples and paying €9,000 in "humanitarian aid" to the Vietnamese authorities who assist the adoption. The entire process was found by UNICEF to be disturbing and to lack transparency.

"The Minister for Children, Barry Andrews, must take immediate steps to remedy this sorry situation. While the indications that Vietnam authorities are moving towards full implementation of the Hague Convention are to be welcomed, Minister Andrews must now use whatever influence he has to encourage them to do so at the earliest possible opportunity.

"He must also meet with prospective parents hoping to adopt Vietnamese babies and outline to them precisely what their options now are. And finally, he must publish the report by the Adoption Board into the activities of ‘Helping Hands’, the only Irish mediation agency operating in Vietnam", concluded Deputy McManus.