Residents from Itumbe Location in Sameta have been warned against illegal child adoption, and urged to follow legal processes to avert falling prey to child trafficking syndicates.
Area chief Henry Mirera has reminded area residents that there are adoption laws that should be followed before adopting any child to avoid being prosecuted for engaging in illegal child adoption.
Speaking on Sunday at his office during a one-day Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Community awareness training for clan elders from his location sponsored by the International Rescue Committee Peace Initiative, Mirera challenged local community members to ensure they seek legal counsel on child adoption laws and procedures before adopting any child.
“I am reminding you to ensure you follow all the legal requirements as provided for in the adoption laws, before you adopt any child to avoid flouting the adoption laws,” warned Mirera
Kisii County PIK Project Programmes coordinator Christine Opanga took the participants through the child adoption laws during which she informed them that the first legal step in adoption is the termination of the parental rights of a child's birthparents.
“The final step in child adoption is the finalization of adoption in court, making you your child's permanent, legal parents. Along the way, there are many points where adoption laws will have an effect on your child's adoption,” clarified Opanga.
Opanga disclosed that Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) is a legal process involving a court hearing, during which a judge issues a decree that permanently ends all legal parental rights of a birth parent to a child, adding this must occur before a child is considered to be legally free for adoption.
“Termination of parental rights can be voluntary or involuntary, that is, with or without the birthparents' agreement. In some states, there is a period during which the birthparent may appeal, if rights have been terminated without his or her consent. The length of that period varies from state to state,” observed Opanga
Opanga added that the finalization hearing, sometimes held in the judge's chambers, usually lasts less than an hour, and is attended by the adoptive parents, the child, the family's attorney, and a social worker from the child's agency.
“Upon finalization of an adoption, the court issue the adoption decree, sometimes called adoption certificate, which is the document issued by the court stating that the adoptee is the legal child of the adoptive parents,” stated Opanga