Guinea

This publication, published in French, was prepared as a background document to inform the discussions and debates during the Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child held on 29-30 May 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This report examines the rationale behind increasing intercountry adoption in Africa, the main thrust of international standards, the extent and magnitude of African intercountry adoption and its problems and challenges. The paper provides recommendations to this increasing trend and aims to establish a more Pan-African position on the topic of intercountry adoption.

The Guidelines for Action on Intercountry Adoption of Children in Africa was adopted at the Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child held on 29-30 May 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The objectives of the Guidelines are to facilitate and support the efforts of States to take all appropriate legal, administrative, and other measures to ensure that all persons and organizations involved in the adoption of a child act in conformity with applicable international legal instruments. Recommendations are set forth for central authorities and accredited bodies.

In the recently released outcome document of the Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child, conference delegates call for a reversal of the current trend of resorting to intercountry adoption as a primary solution for African children in need of alternative care, and for giving prime priority to enabling all children in Africa to remain with their families and communities.

The literature review, “Ethical Principles, Dilemmas and Risks in Collecting Data on Violence against Children” aims to capture current thinking around ethical issues and provide empirical support to guide recommendations for ethical research practice and decision-making in collecting data on violence against children (VAC). The review examines documentation that is of specific relevance to research ethics in collecting data on VAC and includes ethics guidelines, codes, protocols and practice related documentation, as well as research-based publications.

In this report, Retrak examines the situation of girls living on the streets in Kampala, Uganda and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and provides key recommendations on the development programs required to address their needs. The report urges for scaling up services, building new facilities for street girls, and building staff capacity to handle issues related to this population.

The report provides guidance on achieving law reform which gives children in alternative care and day care the protection from all forms of corporal and other cruel and degrading punishment that is their absolute right.

This publication by SOS Children’s Villages International brings together research findings, learning and policy recommendations about sibling relations in alternative care gathered from five different SOS Children’s Villages associations (Germany, Austria, France, Italy, and Spain).

This document provides an overview of The Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child held on 29-30 May 2012 at the United Nations Conference Center Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The overall goal of the Fifth IPC was to further the discussion on intercountry adoption and to contribute to the improvement of national laws, policies, systems and procedures relating to intercountry adoption.

This publication was prepared as a background document to inform the discussions and debates during the Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child held on 29-30 May 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This report provides a situational analysis of the law and practice of intercountry adoption in Africa, with the aim of informing debate on conceptualizing, developing and implementing policies, laws, and programs and research in relation to intercountry adoption in Africa.

The Proceedings report presents summaries of all presentations delivered and of all plenary discussions held during each session of the Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child (IPC) held on 29 and 30 May 2012 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which brought together experts, policymakers, and key stakeholders to discuss various issues and the implications of intercountry adoption in Africa.