Sri Lanka bans adoptions to stop post-tsunami abductions, trafficking News
Sri Lanka bans adoptions to stop post-tsunami abductions, trafficking

[JURIST] The Sri Lankan government, concerned at reports of abduction and trafficking of children in the wake of the December 26 tsunami disaster that killed over 30,000 in Sri Lanka alone, has announced that adoption of children is illegal until further notice. A government spokesman made the announcement after a cabinet meeting in the capital, Columbo. He went on to say "Not even a Sri Lankan can adopt a child affected by this disaster until the government has come out with their programme…Even if they are relatives, they are not expected to take children without government permission." BBC News has more. As previously reported in JURIST's Paper Chase, UN children's fund group UNICEF has warned about dangers to children orphaned and left homeless in the wake of the international disater, and is working with authorities in Sri Lanka, Indonesia and elsewhere to ensure that child victims are protected against criminal exploitation. On Friday, UNICEF officials confirmed a case of child trafficking in Indonesia after the tsunami involving a 4 year-old boy in the devastated Aceh region who was taken away by a couple falsely claiming to be his parents. Reuters has more.