The Adoption’s Bill provides robust safeguards 

The Minister of Gender Equality, Child Development and Family Welfare, Roubina Jadoo-Jaunbocus, present at the opening ceremony of a validation workshop on the draft of the Adoption’s Bill, at the Pearl Beach Hotel in Flic en Flac, stated that an adoption is essentially a measure that creates a permanent parent-child relationship between the adoptee and the adoptive parents. The Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to the Republic of Mauritius, Mrs. Marjaana Sall, was also present on the occasion. 

On that score, she underlined that the validation of the draft of the Adoption’s Bill and recently the validation of the draft of the Children’s Bill showcase Government’s determination to cater for the welfare of children.

Mrs. Jadoo-Jaunbocus indicated that the National Adoption Council, operating under the aegis of her Ministry, has been designated as the central authority under the Hague Convention, to inquire into all demands regarding adoption matters. She stressed that many procedural challenges need to be tackled to ensure that adoptions are compliant with human rights and other obligations.

As for Ambassador Sall, she recalled that the EU has provided technical assistance to work out the drafts of the Adoption’s Bill and the Children’s Bill. This, she said, are the concrete examples of EU’s commitment to partner with Mauritius on issues of shared values. According to her, adoption raises several human rights issues which require authorities to ensure that these are taken into consideration during the adoption process.

The New Adoption Bill

The New Adoption Bill is being worked upon so as to comply with the Hague Convention wherein the new legislation will regulate all the three types of adoption in Mauritius, that is, adoption of Mauritian children by foreigners, adoption of foreign children by Mauritian nationals, and adoption of Mauritian children by Mauritian nationals.