Government to end private adoptions

The government is set to end the practice of private adoptions of children with a new bill submitted to the social welfare deputy ministry.

Should it pass into law, the bill will stipulate that the process of adopting children can be done only through social services, while also banning any financial compensation in exchange for children, and the placement of advertisements either in printed or online forms regarding their adoption.

In short, the bill stipulates that the adoption of children cannot be done for profit, either on the part of the child’s biological parent or on the part of any other party.

Additionally, the bill foresees the possibility of single people adopting children, and the possibility for people over the age of 18 to be adopted – two things which are not possible under the current legislation.

The bill also foresees the creation of a “simplified” adoption process, in which a newly created “adoptions advisory committee” will take decisions regarding proposed adoptions following an agreement made between biological and prospective adoptive parents.

The aim of the new process will be to reduce delays experienced by those going through the adoption process.

At the same time, the bill also foresees an examination process for children’s suitability to be put up for adoption, with the child’s living conditions and other factors to be considered.

Around 300 adoptions have taken place over the last five years in Cyprus according to social services, with the number of applications for adoption steadily falling from a high of 176 in 2020 to 120 last year.