Parliament ratifies European Convention on Adoption of Children

Parliament ratifies European Convention on Adoption of Children

Today at 11:29 | Interfax-Ukraine

The Verkhovna Rada has ratified the European Convention on the Adoption of Children.

A total of 288 of the 418 MPs registered in the hall voted for the ratification of the document on February 15.

The convention establishes the requirements for the adoption process and lists the people whose permission must be obtained in the adoption procedure.

According to the convention, an adoption is valid only if it is carried out under a ruling of a court or an administrative agency that ascertained that the adoption was in the interests of the child.

The document also excludes the practice of repeated adoption and contains a list of cases when it can be permitted. According to the convention, a child can be adopted by a person that has reached the minimum age established by the law. It is also envisaged that the state establishes such a minimum age, but it should be between 18 and 30 years old.

According to the international document, the state-participants have the right to pass provisions, which, according to them, are more favorable for the adoption of the child. This means that in case if some provisions of Ukrainian legislation differing from the provisions of the convention, and these provisions are more favorable for the adoption process, then this will not be regarded as a violation or non-compliance with the international document.

The convention also appoints the Education and Science, Youth and Sports Ministry of Ukraine as the agency, to which requests for adoption should be submitted.

The European Convention on the Adoption of Children (revised) was passed on May 7, 2008 at a meeting of the committee of ministers of the Council of Europe. Ukraine signed it on April 28, 2009.

Read more: http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/97372/#ixzz1EECABGN7