TRANSLATION OF ADOPTION NEWS

NEWS published on Prensa Libre March 18th 2010

http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/Guatemala-reabrira-adopciones-internacionales_0_226777474.html

We will select four adoption organizations among the 15 that were postulated in 10 countries," said Elizabeth Hernandez CNA(Consejo Nacional de Adopciones) president.

The CNA decided to reopen the adoption of children by foreigners because of the 608 children waiting to be adopted, 214 have intellectual disabilities, chronic illness or are older than 7 making it difficult to be placed in Guatemalan families.

http://www.prensalibre.com/noticias/Guatemala-reabrira-adopciones-internacionales_0_226777474.html


Following the Adoption Act on 31 December 2007, adoptions were suspended in Guatemala. Later children started to be placed in Guatemalan homes. To date 279 cases have been completed.

In addition to banning international adoptions, the new law stripped of powers to notaries who in the previous process were responsible for recruiting pregnant women to the last step of apply for U.S. visas for children. Each adoptive family paid between $ 25,000 and $ 50,000 for the procedure.

In the years preceding the law, up to 5,000 adoptions were processed per year. Over 1% of children born in those years in Guatemala were adopted by Americans.

The CAN began in November a selection process of adoption organizations, that is agencies engaged in managing private adoptions.

In late April, eight agencies were selected , whose representatives will be interviewed and references will be verified with their respective countries.

Unlike the previous system, where parents demanded specifics on children, now the CAN will provide the children with their counterparts in countries of destination and they will be responsible for seeking suitable families for them.