Publications
Reports published by the ISS
Haiti: "Expediting" intercountry adoptions in the aftermath of a natural disaster ... preventing future harm, Mia DAMBACH and Christina BAGLIETTO, 2010
This report examines intercountry adoption practices in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti. Haiti has been a ‘popular' country of origin, meaning that thousands of children were at some stage of the adoption process - albeit simply "identified" as potentially adoptable - when the earthquake struck. There were diverse and contrasting responses by ‘receiving countries' and others to the subsequent adoption of children displaced abroad. This report documents and reviews the vast range of responses and the exceptional measures implemented by some countries in expediting firstly, the transfer of cases (with an adoption judgment) as well as secondly, adoptions and other procedures (without a judgment).
In the context of these exceptional measures, the principal objective of this report is to identify lessons to be learned from this situation in order to prevent future harm. It is not the intention of the report to denounce a particular country, but rather to provide an objective analysis of the fast-tracking measures implemented, against the backdrop of international norms.
Download the report in English
Assessment of the national and international adoption system in the Ivory Coast, ISS, 2010
At the request of the Ivorian adoption authorities, and thanks to the support of the French International Adoption Service, in March 2010 the ISS/IRC has carried out a mission to assess the Ivorian adoption system and identify the steps that need to be undertaken in view of a ratification of the 1993 Hague Convention. In its mission report, the ISS/IRC presents the findings of its field work and proposes a serial of recommendations aimed at advising the country on the adoption of preventive measures to avoid risks and guarantee adoption procedures in line with international standards.
Download the report in French
Adoption from Viet Nam: Finding and Recommendations of an assessment, ISS, 2009
The 82 page report is based on an independent assessment by ISS in 2009, commissioned by UNICEF Viet Nam and by the Department of Adoption of the Ministry of Justice of Viet Nam. The main aims were to firstly identify and address problems in the adoption processes, with a view to assisting Viet Nam in its preparations to accede to the THC-93 and secondly, review the new draft law on adoption, and propose any relevant amendments. The report includes a number of observations about the adoption situation in the country as well as makes diverse recommendations targeting key actors not only within Vietnam but also those outside including receiving countries, agencies and international organizations. The report is currently available in English, but a French version is forthcoming.
Download the report in English
ISS General Secretariat Publishing:
Documents that can be accessed for free may be downloaded directly and the documents for sale may be ordered by e-mail. Please note that payments will be processed through an invoice.
The place of child health in the adoption process, ISS/IAS, 2010
As a follow-up to an initiative taken by the International Adoption Service (IAS) of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs in France, and in collaboration with the latter, the ISS /IRC undertook a study on the place of child health in the adoption process. In order to have as comprehensive overview as possible, information based on practice has been compiled through a questionnaire as well as by examining several systems that have been implemented worldwide. As the topic is vast, the study has focused on the measures implemented by receiving countries, given that their responsibility is particularly at stake in relation to this issue. The perspective of the countries of origin is also included thanks to contributions received from several of them. The study is organised according to the typical outline of an adoption procedure. Each part provides a synthesis of the results as well as the main conclusions, and offers suggestions designed to strengthen or improve the situation. At the end of the document, a factsheet summarises the suggestions formulated through the use of a good practice.
Adoption of older children, Stéphanie Romanens-Pythoud, Children’s Rights Specialist at ISS/IRC, 2008, 42 pages. Available in English and French, 15 €
Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children - A United Nations framework, SOS Children's Villages International and ISS, 2009, 29 pages. Available in English.
The Rights of the child in Domestic and Intercountry adoption - Ethics and Principles Guidelines for Practice, ISS, 1999/2004.
External Publishing:
These documents may be ordered from the Publisher.Adoption internationale: Une évolution entre éthique et marché [Intercountry Adoption: an evolution between ethics and market], Hervé Boéchat, Director of ISS/IRC; 2006, 82 pages. Available in French and German.
L’adoption internationale traverse depuis quelques années une crise caractérisée par un nombre de parents candidats à l’adoption bien supérieur aux possibilités d’adoption à travers le monde. En analysant les facteurs historiques, sociaux et politiques à l’origine de cette situation, et en s’appuyant sur les textes internationaux contemporains, l’auteur propose une nouvelle lecture de l’adoption internationale et donne quelques pistes quant à sa possible évolution.
For purchase: www.ssiss.ch/pages_f/Publications/E0.html#
Article 21: Adoption – A Commentary on the United nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Sylvain Vité and Hervé Boéchat, Martinus Nijhoff Publishers, Leiden, 2008.
This volume constitutes a commentary on Article 21 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It is part of the series, A Commentary on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which provides an article by article analysis of all substantive, organizational and procedural provisions of the CRC and its two Optional Protocols. For every article, a comparison with related human rights provisions is made, followed by an in-depth exploration of the nature and scope of State obligations deriving from that article. The series constitutes an essential tool for actors in the field of children’s rights, including academics, students, judges, grassroots workers, governmental, non-governmental and international officers. The series is sponsored by the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office.
For purchase: www.brill.nl/default.aspx?partid=210&pid=22517