Adoption a legal process, safeguards rights of child: Smriti Irani

Union Minister of Women and Child Development (WCD) Smriti Irani on Tuesday said that adoption was no longer an act of bringing a child home but a legal process where all the rights and privileges of a child are safeguarded.

She was speaking at National Consultation on Adoption organized by Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA), a statutory body of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, here.

"Adoption is no longer an act of bringing a child home, but it is a legal process where all the rights and privileges of a child are safeguarded along with the transfer of responsibilities to adoptive parents in a legal manner," Irani said.

According to an official release, she urged all stakeholders that deliberations must lead to the way forward in order to improve the implementation of the child adoption programme.

Asserting that the central government is committed to taking all measures to ensure a bright future for the children of the country, Irani said: "A large number of parents are waiting to adopt, even as the total number of reported adoptions is less when compared to the figures of destitute and orphan children in the country."

Major issues deliberated upon during the national consultation were simplification of the adoption process, bringing more children in need of care and protection into the adoption pool, rehabilitation of older and children with special needs and issues related to adoption being faced by implementing agencies and state bodies.

Officials and stakeholders from all states and Union Territories took part in the consultations.