Adoption Protects the Child From Child Trafficking

Concord Times (Freetown)

11 July 2011

Freetown — The climate in Sierra Leone suggests that a child leaving the country is at risk for being trafficked. When in actuality child trafficking and exploitation occurs in the streets of Freetown every day. Children are forced to work, beg, sell items in the streets, all for adults who for whatever reason are unable to do so for themselves. Young girls trade sex for money all in an attempt to acquire basic necessities.

The current HANCI scandal has put a microscope on adoption, causing the Ministry of Social Welfare to shutdown potential adoptions, all in an effort to stop trafficking when in fact the scandal has nothing to do with child trafficking. This shutdown is currently denying forever families and future opportunity for many children who have little hope.

Adoption is a sensitive subject that is often misunderstood. It has been said that sending children abroad for adoption hurts the country of Sierra Leone, and children adopted will lose all ties to their birth country. This is not at all the case. In fact, adoption allows children the opportunity to study abroad, recover from their trauma and return to their home country when of age to make an incredible difference.

It is fact that there are more than 300,000 neglected or orphaned children in this country…most sadly as a result of the war that brutalized this country for an entire decade. The broken families and extreme poverty left behind is a heavy weight for the government of Sierra Leone to endure. If the government of Sierra Leone lifted the ban on adoption it would ease the burden they currently have in providing assistance to these children who need their support and allow them to better care for families and children who live in Sierra Leone not getting the assistance they need.

It is important to understand that adoption is the creation of family. It gives back to a child who has lost everything. Current parliamentarians, court justices, and even the Honorable Minister Dr. Denis Sandy, are all government officials who believe adoption plays an important role in any child protection plan.Whether the adoptive family lives in Sierra Leone or outside of Sierra Leone…giving a child permanent family security is a move that is to be applauded. We have had several meetings with the Minister of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs Dr. Denis Sandy, and are encouraged by his resolve and passion for putting an end to the HANCI scandal once and for all. We have partnered with the Ministry of Social Welfare to form a credible process ensuring that adoptions are done lawfully under current law and new law. Our current addition to the process is requiring DNA testing on all birth parents to ensure the true parents are relinquishing children.

The issue with current adoption is not that the old law is ineffective, or that the new law being written is a stronger statement, the issue is the paperwork process…we believe that regardless of the law, credible adoption can still take place under the current law or the new law.

A ban on adoption only hurts children who are waiting for families. We all know it can take years to put to rest a 10-year HANCI scandal, it can take years to pass a new law. There are children waiting for families that just don’t have that long. We believe it’s time the Ministry of Social Welfare lifts the ban allowing for adoptions to process under current law, a law that holds a 20+ year track record. This move will prove they serve the best interests of the child. We are optimistic that the Honorable Minister Sandy is just the man for this task. He is passionate, driven and fights for what is right. We hope he is listening and know he will do what is right for these children.

Submitted by

Erica Rust – Co-Founder of The Raining Season

Tina Schmidt – Executive Director of The Raining Season

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