By: karenms1

karenms1 — Fri, 23 Feb 2007 00:15:36 +0000

I find the premise of this piece to be interesting. The Peace Accords, agreed upon in 1996, were set forth to establish a civil society in which ALL the people of Guatemala are guaranteed human rights. These rights, such as participation in democracy, are crucial in the development of a society that values and honors children and their families. Many US readers take these rights for granted because, at our point in history, these rights come relatively easy to us (in fact, many of us don’t even exercise our right to vote, etc.). However, remember that the indigenous people of Guatemala have suffered unbearable pain–the many atrocities of genocide–and a free and democratic society is not yet realized in post-conflict Guatemala. It is one of the most dangerous countries in this hemisphere. Even in a post-conflict environment, there is much to fear in Guatemala. Right now, there alarming homicides of Guatemalan women taking place–many of which have ritualistic characteristics. Also, currently rape is a legal act if the rapist states that he intends to marry the victim (yes, that’s a fact). This example is indicative of the fact that peace reforms MUST move forward to begin to amend the system and guarantee human rights–guaranteeing liberties. That said, how does this extend to intercountry child adoption? Well, peace includes “rights”–including the right to be with your family, tribal group, and community. Right now, the notarial adoption process has been abused and child and birth mother rights have been abused–this is a documented fact. For example, there are known instances of sex workers being forcibly housed in midwive’s homes until delivery of the child at which time, upon “relinquishment”, the mother is thrown back out on the street. And, anyone who thinks that the lawyers/notaries are not paying birth mothers for their signatures are ignoring an obvious reality in this “dollar a day” country. The Hague Convention is an important step in curtailing unethical adoption processes to avoid the sale and trafficking of children–who an be against that? Because Guatemala is motivated to continue intercountry adoption, the country will find a way to conform to the Hague. It will take time to build a coherent system (an oversight central authority) and there will be growing pains. However, if Guatemala does not conform to the Hague, the US will not recognize the adoptions and our embassy will cease to issue visas. That is the reality of the Hague, signatory countries can not engage with incompliant countries. As the US moves towards full implementation of the Hague in 2007, eventually the flow of infants will cease until Guatemala becomes Hague-compliant. That being the case, it is time to assist Guatemala with Hague compliance–assist with technical advice, provide international development aid to build a coherent child welfare system, and other assistance needs that will inevitably arise in development. Will the peace accord implementation–a more civil society–hamper adoptions? The current notary system maybe, but that is not really the issue. The system must change in order to respond to the Hague and continue to find permanent home for children–in Guatemala and elsewhere. In good conscience, putting aside personal needs (desire to adopt an infant), we must all applaud Guatemala’s effort to improve the conditions of its people, especially their most vulnerable–the children.

Comments on: Do Promised Guatemala Reforms Help/Hurt Adoptions?

By: karenms1