Gov’t looks to 2014 for adoptions

The long-awaited resumption of international adoptions may finally occur in the new year, officials from the ministries of Justice and Social Affairs said yesterday, though no time table is yet in place.

While the freeze on adoptions – put in place in 2009 with the passage of the Inter-Country Adoption Law – was lifted in January of this year, the country still has yet to begin accepting or processing applications for adoptions.

Speaking at the start of a two-day workshop in the capital yesterday, Ministry of Social Affairs Secretary of State Nim Thout expressed hope that the current moratorium would soon come to an end, but could not offer a definitive timeline. ...

In a nation where just 38 per cent of residents have a birth certificate, attendees agreed that adoptions could not commence without appropriate regulations and enforcement mechanisms in place. ...

Ahead of the ban’s lifting last January, Foreign Affairs Ministry Secretary of State Long Visalo announced a quota of 100 to 200 adoptions per year would be enforced, with only children under eight eligible. ...

Amelia Woodside and Sen David
http://www.phnompenhpost.com/national/gov%E2%80%99t-looks-2014-adoptions