PANAJI
Adoption agencies and the police have raised an alarm over cavalier adoption of kids orphaned by the ravaging second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic and have cautioned of the mandatory and elaborate legal processes involved.
Earlier this week, Superintendent of Police Shobit Saxena, IPS, had flagged messages posted on social media platforms which solicited adopting 'Covid orphans' and warned against illegal adoptions.
Several other agencies including Caritas-Goa and Children's Rights Group (CRG) have found these messages bizarre which urge people to take up adoption of children whose parents died of Covid-19.
"These messages are bizarre and should be reported. Adoption is an elaborate process. It is not done like this," said Fr Maverick Fernandes, who heads Caritas-Goa, one of the agencies accredited to oversee and facilitate legal adoption.
Fr Maverick said that there indeed are cases of kids being rendered orphans with both sets of parents falling victims to Covid-19 but it needs proper outreach and groundwork to prepare them for adoption including evaluation of each child by the Child Welfare Committee.
Caritas Goa is accredited to handle both domestic as well as international adoption by the State and the Centre.
Fr Maverick said there have been cases of Covid orphans which have come to be reported and Caritas is working to reach out and assist these children.
The Goa Police meanwhile recently put out a poster to make people aware of procedures which need to be followed for legally adopting a child.
Illegal adoption bypassing these procedures could attract criminal prosecution under the Indian Penal Code among other laws.
In early May, when these messages soliciting adoption of Covid-19 orphans first surfaced, Porvorim based CRG and others had flagged the issue and reported the matter to the authorities.
"Adoption is a legal process and regulated by Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA). At the State level the adoption process is regulated by State Adoption Resource Authority (SARA). Any child found in difficult circumstances should be reported to the Child Welfare Committees in the respective district or to Childline (1098)," said the Goa Pro Child Network of which the CRG is a part.
The Pro Child Network also said posts of adoption of children are illegal and an offence and often part of trafficking for begging or prostitution or child labour.
