GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC—The government of Guyana officially opened the country’s first central adoption authority on Tuesday, paving the way for the resumption of inter-country adoption.
According to the Ministry of Human Services and Social Security, this will enhance the welfare of children and ensure adopted children are placed in safe spaces.
Established in accordance with the Adoption of Children (Amendment) Act of 2021, the authority adheres to the principles of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Children.
Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr Vindhya Persaud, cut the ribbon on Tuesday to officially open the facility.
In her remarks, Persaud said regulations will govern the Central Authority to ensure the effective management of the adoption processes.
Although a central authority has been established and will now allow inter-country adoption to resume, the procedure still involves the local process. Cases are 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 about the legislation,” Dr Persaud said.
She added, “We must 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 lives and in their future.
This is a severe step for our country, but it ensures the paramount safety of children across Guyana.”
The Central Authority consists of five members, including two lawyers.
As the Chief Executive Officer of the central authority, Kaycina Jardine was strategically established to facilitate, directly or indirectly, the implementation of the 1993 Hague Convention on the protection of children in inter-country adoption.
She said a key role of central adoption is to ensure that children’s rights are protected and that they are placed in safe spaces with suitable families.
“The convention’s fundamental principles were formulated with the aim of the protection of children, that is, the safeguards that were established to safeguard them from child abduction, sales, and trafficking.
“The best interest of every child should be paramount,” Jardine said.
The 1993 Hague Convention, she said, provided a more comprehensive approach to processing inter-country adoption.
Under the legislation, any child under 18 who is a resident of the country can be adopted. To adopt, an individual must be over 18 and not older than 65.
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