The Sunday Mail
Fatima Bulla
The Department of Social Welfare, which falls under the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, has raised the red flag over the growing trend in which Zimbabweans living outside the country are adopting children in order to unlock financial benefits provided by their host countries.
There are fears that vulnerable children that are unlucky to be adopted by foster parents angling for allowances and subsidies to cover education and medical care, are likely to be abused.
Child welfare officer in the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare Ms Patience Nhire said while Zimbabweans have softened up to adopting children, there were incidences were some are doing so for selfish personal interests.
“You have people who keep an eye on struggling relatives, they can adopt children to access benefits. But when parents give away their children, they should know that the one adopting their children has the power to make some decisions.
“If they are to take the child abroad, what can you possibly do? We strongly condemn adopting children for commercial purposes,” said Ms Nhire at a media workshop held in Mutare last week.
Many developed countries provide financial assistance or subsidies to families that adopt children.
In Canada, there are provinces where adoption packages include medical care, counselling or therapy, special equipment and tutoring programmes, among other forms of assistance.
The United States also offers adoption assistance to children with disabilities and their adoptive parents.
Information on a US government website reads: “Tax benefits for adoption could reduce your income tax by claiming your qualified adoption expenses on your federal income tax return.
“If you received employer-provided adoption assistance, you may be able to exclude some of your income from tax.” In Australia, there are numerous packages which include parental leave pay, family tax benefit and child care subsidies.
The country’s supreme law provides for protection of children in Section 19.
The African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of Children as well as the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children also protect children’s rights.
Overall, locals are increasingly agreeable to adoption, especially following Government’s awareness initiatives between 2014 and 2016.
Ms Nhire said: “In the past, adoption was associated with white people. Zimbabweans had misconceptions inspired by traditional beliefs and myths, that by adopting a child, one could be haunted by avenging spirits some day.
“But after the work we did between 2014 and 2016, highlighting the advantages of adoption through our media partners, people have changed their minds and are now forthcoming.”
