New Telegraph

UK’s adoption restrictions, unfair to Nigeria, children, says agency

 

Juliana Francis

The President of Literacy Integration and Formal Education (LIFE) Foundation, Elvira Salleras, has described the special restrictions on Inter-country Adoptions from Nigeria, put in place by the UK government as a gross abuse of adoption process.
According to Salleras, the restriction was recently escalated by the UK Department for Education and by virtue of this Order, adoptions from Nigeria to the UK were suspended with effect from March 12, 2021.
In the statement from the UK government, the decision was based on evidence received through international partners, including Central Adoption Authorities and diplomatic missions, as well as media sources. Aside Nigeria, other countries facing these restrictions are Nepal, Haiti, Guatemala and Ethiopia.
Salleras’s agency, LIFE, is a UK-based adoption agency, with expertise and extensive experience in inter-country adoptions from Nigeria since 2006. LIFE works in partnership with Lagos and Anambra states.
She argued that adoption processes in Nigeria, especially in Lagos and Anambra states, which her agency works with, had been transparent and top notch in following international standard in child-adoption. She felt it was unfair to lump Nigeria along with other countries in the restriction.
She explained that adoption in Nigeria was a matter of state and not federal law, which means that each state had its own adoption laws, procedure and practice. Salleras described adoption in Lagos State as a subject of the Child’s Right’s Law 2007 as amended in 2015.
She added: “By this law, Lagos State can be said to have domesticated the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child even though Nigeria is not a party to the Hague convention. Indeed, it is an aberration to make reference to ‘the Nigerian adoption system’ as this does not exist. Since adoption is a matter of state law, the adoption system in each state stands and falls on its own merits.”
Salleras noted that the background of each child proposed for adoption was firmly established by a robust, formal method, requiring various administrative documents and involving transparent investigation process.”
This, according to her, resulted in the establishment of the Child’s Adoptability by the Ministry of Youth and Social Development (MYSD). Furthermore, the adoption process is facilitated by categorised procedures for both local and inter-country adoptions, said Salleras.
Listing the adoption procedure for Nigerians living abroad, she explained that the prospective parents would first have to submit an application letter to the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Youth and Social Development, Block 18, Secretariat, Alausa, Lagos. Then followed by the submission of all required documents by prospective adopters or through the Foundation, including Home Study Report and Approval Letter from Country of Domicile by appropriate Authorities.
“Another requirement is Administrative Processing by the Adoption Unit and Payment of N130, 000 administrative fees, processing of all documents submitted for Honourable Commissioner’s Approval, and Collection of Approval Letter by the Prospective Adopters/Foundation,” explained Salleras.
Other requirements were notification of arrival of prospective adopters after a successful matching of child or children at a registered orphanage, invitation of prospective adopters with their updated documents through the foundation for the release of child or children for bonding.
She noted: “Finally, conducting Bonding Assessment, interview with the Director, Social Welfare and legalisation of the Adoption at the Family Court. According to Section 121 of the Child’s Rights Law of Lagos State, 2007 as amended in 2015,  ‘an adoption order must not be granted in respect of a child unless the applicant has at least 12 months before the granting of the order, informed the social welfare officer of his intention to adopt the child’.”
Salleras further argued: “It is just too easy to stay behind your desk and pass judgment without thinking of the consequences. Every orphanage is supervised by a social worker from the family’s social service within the jurisdiction. Every orphanage must render account of all the children on a monthly basis to the ministry. Every child found abandoned must be reported to the police.”
She said that when a child was found, he or she must go through publication or television announcement, asking people who knew the child to come forward. Several weeks would be given for such a person to come forward.
She said: “It’s unfortunate that people take decisions concerning children without considering the aftermath effect on them. You lock doors that could have been open to children with special needs. They are undesirable for Nigerians living abroad because they don’t have the means or specialisation required to assist that child.  Someone in UK will easily take that child because there is help around the corner or expertise and facilities. You close that door on wrong basis. I insist that a child that was trafficked cannot end up in the adoption system and all these are subject to verification.”
She lamented: “The UK government has been misinformed, which is why when someone hears about child trafficking in Taraba State, the person begin to think that the entire Nigeria is involved in child trafficking. Why would anyone bring up child trafficking as a reason for not doing adoption? They are like night and day, and having this type of attitude towards Nigeria makes nonsense of all the hard work of social workers. Social workers are doing excellent jobs in some states and I have worked with some of them. The social workers’ job is a tough one because most times it’s a thankless one. I was in the ministry the day the message came; you would have seen the way they reacted. It was like after all their struggles, it comes down to this. The UK government should get to know the truth by getting to know how they do the job in the adoption space. Their methods and processes.”
Using Denmark as a case study, Salleras said that children adopted from Lagos State were given automatic citizenship.
“Because of this excellent adoption process of Lagos State, immediately children are adopted from Nigeria, they are entitled to Danish citizenship for the simple reason that it was noticed that Lagos State processes to be in line with international best practices as required by the Hague convention. Lagos State should be wining medals, and not being judged and condemned in this matter. I understand their concerns which is that some documents submitted to their embassies or consulate, had issues. People forge birth certificates and so on, but I insist that a trafficked child cannot go through the process for adoption. Lagos State is the pacesetter in adoption and some other states have diligently followed in their footstep and they are all doing a good job.”

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