Madam, – I refer to the Ombudsman for Children’s piece (Opinion, April 18th) relating to inter-country adoption and in particular the situation in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. I am writing on behalf of the Adoption Authority of Ireland in order to clarify the situation.
The Adoption Act, 2010 provides, for the first time, a robust legal framework for the entire inter-country adoption process in line with international law and best practice. The standards for adoption are more clearly articulated now than ever before. From the authority’s point of view the upholding of these standards is paramount. As regards intercountry adoption, the work of the authority to date has been focused on making sure providers of services and prospective adoptive parents are fully informed of – and in a position to meet – the standards which the Act demands. Developing relationships with central authorities in other jurisdictions is also vital to the achievement of standards and the authority has also been very active in this area.
As regards Vietnam, the former Adoption Board and officials of the Office of the Minister for Children visited Vietnam in 2008 because of concerns raised. They advised the government regarding the concerns in Vietnam prior to the publication of any international reports on the situation there. This gave rise to the government’s decision not to rollover the existing international agreement in place with that jurisdiction. The decision, although controversial at the time, was firmly vindicated by the reports referred to in the Ombudsman’s article.
The Minister for Children met the chairman of the authority, Geoffrey Shannon and me last week. The anticipated move to full ratification of the Hague Convention by Vietnam was discussed and we agreed it would be prudent to visit Vietnam in the very near future. The purpose of the visit was clearly enunciated in the Minister’s press statement in relation to the matter, that is, to establish the progress made towards meeting Hague Convention standards, given the serious concerns raised in the aforementioned reports. Ireland has had a strong relationship with Vietnam with a recent tradition of adopting from Vietnam.
It is vitally important that we have the utmost clarity as to the standards being achieved in the Vietnamese processes so that we can advise Government and prospective adopters on the possibilities of proceeding to adopt in that country if and when Vietnam ratifies the convention. – Yours, etc,
Madam, – I refer to the article by the Ombudsman for Children, Emily Logan, (Opinion, April 18th).
I am writing on behalf of the International Adoption Association (Ireland), the largest support group in Ireland for people who have adopted, or are trying to adopt, from abroad.
The article was misleading. It makes no reference to the fact that on November 1st 2010 the Adoption Act 2010 came into force. This repealed all previous adoption legislation in Ireland, including the 1952 Adoption Act, referred to in Ms Logan’s piece. One of the principal purposes of the Act was to give the force of law to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in respect of Inter-Country Adoption 1993. It also fails to mention that the very purpose of the proposed visit by the Adoption Authority to Vietnam (as outlined by the Minister for Children last week) is to assess what progress had been made by the Vietnamese authorities in addressing the concerns which led the government to suspend all adoptions from there in January 2010, in circumstances where Vietnam hoped to ratify the Hague Convention in June of this year.
We do not feel it is appropriate for the Ombudsman for Children to undermine an international convention in this manner.
It is very disappointing that the Ombudsman, as the person who is statutorily charged with promoting and safeguarding the rights and welfare of all children in Ireland, did not seem to consider the impact her article could have on those children who have already been adopted from Vietnam, arising from the indirect suggestion that adoptions that have been effected from Vietnam were in some way questionable. Each adoption that has been registered by the Adoption Board (as the predecessor of the Adoption Authority of Ireland) was registered in accordance with the terms of the Adoption Act 1991, the relevant Vietnamese law and the terms of a bilateral state to state agreement between Ireland and Vietnam. The Ombudsman should not forget that children adopted into Ireland have the same rights as those born here. – Yours, etc,