Véronique Hivon, the Quebec Minister Responsible for Social Services and Youth Protection, announced that Quebecers who want to adopt Haitian children will again be able to transmit their request through two accredited organizations by the Ministry of Health and Social Services of Quebec and accredited in Haiti is : the la "Corporation accueillons un enfant" and "Soleil des nations".

Recall that Quebec had suspended its adoption procedures with Haiti, following the earthquake of 2010, due to some uncertainties about the control of the process for adoption. Quebec had then encouraged the creation of a coalition of the host country, "le Groupe de Montréal" grouping among others Canada, France, the United States and Germany, whose purpose was to support Haiti in the establishment of an appropriate legislative and administrative framework. Adoption procedures had gradually resumed in the spring of 2013 in order to experiment the new Haitian procedures for adoption.

The process will now be centralized and controlled by the Government of Haiti, through the Institute of Welfare and Research (IBESR). Two accredited organizations must respect a quota, fixed at 25 adoptions a year by the Government of Haiti, or one adoption on average per month, for each of the two organizations in Quebec.

In addition, the Haitian government has made significant changes in its adoption process to comply with the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. Haiti imposed a list of conditions for people who wish to apply.

Major changes to procedures :

• The Institute of Welfare and Research (BIRS) now controls the process and must accredit the various nurseries receiving orphans.

• The IBSR ensures of the informed consent of the biological parents who entrust their children to international adoption.

• The Haitian government does not entrust more than one child per month per accredited foreign organization.

• The age of the adoptive parents is now set between 30 and 50 years, and in the case of single parents, between 35 and 50 years. Couples must have lived together for at least 5 years.

• The adoption is done in full adoption in Haiti, rather than simple adoption, which means that filiation is broken.

• A psychological evaluation of adoptive parents, made by a psychologist or social worker, is now mandatory.

Note that according to the website of the Secretariat of International Adoption of the Ministry of Health and Social Services of Quebec, the costs of adoption in Haiti are estimated at about $ 30,000. This estimate includes inter alia the registration fee with the adoption agency, the cost of the psychosocial assessment, consular fees, immigration, travel and stay in Haiti.

S/ HaitiLibre