Children’s Authority director Safiya Noel has issued a stern warning to potential parents and parents not to sell their child/children to desperate couples.
Noel issued the warning alongside chairman Haniff Benjamin and adoption manager Melina Humphrey at a press conference at its Port-of-Spain office on Thursday, hours after five people, including a Trincity couple, were charged with illegally adopting a Venezuelan infant in what police are calling a historic case. This marked the first time anyone had been charged under the Adoption of Children Act 2000 Section 9:2
Police say a sixth suspect is being sought in the case in which a Venezuelan woman is alleging she was coerced by a group of individuals to give up her child.
The authority made it clear no other entity is authorised to engage in arranging the adoption of a child.
Steering clear of the court matter, Noel said, “I just want to speak specifically to parents, potential parents who may have a child on the way or who may have already had a child and does not know what to do with that child and may consider not caring for that child. Please contact the authority.”
Noel said parents should also desist from making adoption arrangements in hospitals.
“We are asking medical professionals to contact the authority. We will make a report to the Child Protection Unit, Counter Trafficking Unit or any other arm of the police that we need to ...to ensure the law is upheld.”
She pleaded with parents not to give up, abandon or throw away their child/children, saying there are families who are willing to provide a wonderful home for them.
“Do not at all ...there is no financial consideration for adoption, none whatsoever. Anyone who is asking you for money (TT or US dollars)...red flag... go to the police or call the authority,” she advised.
Benjamin said the situation before them gives rise to a number of things.
In going forward, he said the authority’s board will make recommendations to Attorney General Faris-Al-Rawis in relation to some of the fines and penalties in the Adoption Act. Currently, persons found guilty of illegal adoption are liable on summary conviction to a fine of $10,000 or two years imprisonment.
“Because we want people to understand that this is a serious thing. We want people to understand that it is far-reaching and it can damage lives.”
Humphrey said the authority has in excess of 100 applications from parents seeking adoptions, while the number of children who were put up for adoption was far less.
“We have more persons wanting to adopt. We have more persons on our prospective adoptive list than children because we don’t have a pool of children. Most persons would request a baby and we don’t have the babies to service the number of persons,” Humphrey said.
In their three years of existence, the authority has done 24 opened and closed adoptions.
Asked what steps the authority has instituted on parents who are strapped for cash and would engage in these informal arrangements, Benjamin said their mandate was the care and protection of all children regardless which country they come from.
Asked if the authority had to deal with the exploitation of undocumented children, Noel said yes.