Adoption: Statutory and customary law aspects from a Namibian perspective

“Adoption: Statutory and customary law aspects from a Namibian

perspective” by Oliver C Ruppel and Pombili L Shipila is a helpful source

of information on the subject. It makes interesting observations about the

concept of adoption from a Western point of view compared with an African

perspective, where the whole family and even the community is involved.

However, without laying any proper foundation for such a conclusion, the

authors suggest that foreigners should be resident in Namibia for about three

years before they are allowed to adopt, and use the example that obtains in

Uganda. This is despite statistics showing that about 80 adoptions a year take

place in Namibia, where nearly 250,000 children are orphans. Nonetheless,

they make a useful recommendation for the government to be party to the

Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of

Intercountry Adoption.10

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