Adoptions News in Ukraine

You may be interested in these interviews with Ludmila Volynets, the director of the SDAPRC, and her boss, Yuri Pavlenko, the Minister of Ukraine for Family, Youth and Sport. I found this article in English over at Sonia Paz Baron-Vine's blog.

Some highlights:

Pavlenko:

• The number of adopted children has finally exceeded the number of bereaved ones.


• In 2008, the number of children adopted by citizens of Ukraine climbed above 2,000; 14 of them were HIV-positive.


• 1,500 applications have lately been filed by the Ukrainians, intending to adopt.


• According to new laws that took effect Dec. 1, 2008, officials at all levels are now personally liable for every particular child’s destiny.


• The Ministry is critical of facilitators (middlemen).


• International adoption can by no means be prohibited, but they clearly give a higher priority to national adoption.


• They have no children less than three years old available for adoption.


• Foreign families adopt either children over 7 years old or severely disabled ones.

Volynets:

• The Hague Convention would be a great benefit in the matter of a full-fledged protection for children adopted by foreign families, and counteraction to corrupt facilitators.


• Her primary objective is to make changes in mass consciousness of Ukrainian society.


• 14% of Ukrainians think themselves ready to adopt orphans into their families.


• Pressure is being put on her personally by foreigners who deem the state’s adoption policy inadequate.


• Prospective adoptive parents do not very well comprehend that the SDA is not to be subject to their whims.


• The SDA’s primary objective is to find a family for the child, not a child for the family.


• The SDA is subject to law, it does no good to complain to them about the laws set by the Parliament, "we are to obey the law and not to discuss it".


• She thinks it is a mistake that Ukraine is not a signatory to the Hague Convention on adoption, but they will be soon.


• Regarding corruption complaints, as private persons, facilitators are protected better than public officials.


• There are more complaints against facilitators, than against public officers; most of the complaints are filed by foreign citizens.


• The facilitators sometimes do not inform the adoptive parents of the child’s disabilities, or vice versa.


• Ukraine needs adequate laws and time so as to establish order and eliminate the abnormal profits drawn by facilitators.


• She is certain that no corrupt practice can ever be exercised in the SDAPRC.

Adoptions News in Ukraine
Sonia Paz (Pachi) Baron-Vine