Press Releases

Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2003 to be gazetted

The Adoption (Amendment) Bill 2003 will be published in the Government gazette on Friday (June 6).

A spokesman for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau said today (June 3) that the Bill seeks to improve existing local adoption arrangements and to give effect to the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in respect of Intercountry Adoption (the Hague Convention) in Hong Kong.

Amongst the legislative amendment proposals, the Bill proposes to outlaw private arrangements for unrelated adoption and the removal of a child residing in Hong Kong to any place outside Hong Kong for the purpose of adoption by an unrelated person without a court order.

It also proposes to impose a mandatory criminal record check requirement on an applicant for an adoption order.

"Without these legislative amendments, there is a real risk that a child will not be placed with the most suitable prospective adopters nor in the best available adoptive home," the spokesman said.

The spokesman said another significant proposal of the Bill is to put in place an intercountry adoption system under the Convention.

"This will facilitate existing adoption work by extending the network of suitable adoptive parents overseas and the Social Welfare Department in establishing formal working relationships with the relevant authorities of other Contracting States of the Convention," he said.

In addition, the Convention provides for the automatic recognition of adoptions made in accordance with its provisions.

"It demonstrates Hong Kong's commitment to facilitate the intercountry adoption of children and to safeguard the interests of those children who are subject to such an adoption, " the spokesman said.

The proposals were discussed by the Legislative Council Welfare Services Panel on April 14, 2003. The Adoption (Amendment) Bill will be introduced into the Legislative Council on June 18, 2003.

End/Tuesday, June 3, 2003
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