South Sudan to enact child adoption policy
By James Gatdet Dak
January 2, 2009 (JUBA) – The semi-autonomous Government of Southern Sudan (GoSS) resolved to workout a policy that would legalize child adoption by non-biological parent(s) in the region.
The policy will make it possible for families in need of child to legally adopt children through the consent of their families and application of the law.
It is aimed at giving chance to neglected children to be adopted through legal processes and to minimize the practice of child abduction by those who have no other legal means of getting a child.
The resolution was passed in the Council of Ministers meeting on Friday one week after five children were recovered in Pibor County of Jonglei state after they were previously abducted from Central and Eastern Equatoria states by a group of cattle raiders from the Murle community.
The Community has been widely accused of the practice of abducting children by other neighboring communities, and efforts previously exerted by the Government to halt the practice that has gone on for decades failed.
Among the recently recovered five children in the County during the visit of the Vice President, Riek Machar to the area, two of them are identified as children of a relative of Madam Agnes Lukudu Loro, Minister of Wildlife and Tourism.
NARRATION OF THE ORIGIN OF CHILD ABDUCTION BY MURLE
In their encounter with the Vice President in Pibor County, the Murle community leaders condemned the practice but defended the origin of their action and argued that they were “accepting and bringing up children rejected by certain societies” in order to give them to their childless families.
In the Pibor’s meeting the Jonglei state government was represented by the Minister of Finance who was delegated by Governor Kuol Manyang Juuk to tour the state counties with the Vice President.
The Murle particularly accused their Dinka Bor neighbors of allegedly being a party to the origin of the child trade in the state that has now become a crime widely condemned by both the Government and other communities in Southern Sudan.
To the Murle chiefs, the practice started decades ago as a free non-commercial adoption of Dinka Bor children who were rejected by their families mainly because they were initially born out of wedlock and then brought to the Murle community who accepted them for adoption for childless families.
They further explained that the non-commercial adoption gradually turned into a commercial exchange of Murle cows with Bor’s rejected or stolen children, until it became a full blown direct stealing and forceful abduction of children by the Murle from the neighboring communities.
However, the Dinka Bor community chiefs have been dismissing as unfounded the claim by the Murle community on the issue.
The policy to adopt a child and which is being processed by the Ministry of Gender, Social Welfare and Religious Affairs before it is discussed and passed by the parliament will give chance for adoption to neglected children through legal processes and may minimize child abduction practices by those who are in need of children and have no other legal means to get them.
(ST)
Mr Famous Big_Logic_Boy
South Sudan to enact child adoption policy
Good move Law will judge everything if being practice on the hands of the right people not junglese, but for the dinka children i think that there is no for complain since they sold their children to murle because of cattle. Its their business Goss does not need to put his hands on this matter. This is thesame that they are trying to trade with Equatoria with land, but we’ll never sell our land with moron kids.
WomenPower
South Sudan to enact child adoption policy
Dear Brothers,
The question of adoption is not as easy as it is posted here. Once a law like this is passed you need to ask what will come next. Yes it looks like they are trying to resolve an area problem, but I believe that in Sudan no one is an orphan. We all have extended families who can step in. Furthermore any real orphans should be the responsibility of the government.
Why I say this, we are in a country that may have( on paper under the desk somewhere) but dose not practice any children protection laws, once these children are adopted the question is for what?
What are these adults going to use them for? who will monitor that? And now lets go further, will we end up selling these children for organs, into sex slavery etc… why are you so closed minded, look at the world what is happening to children and we are talking about societies that are fully functioning with all the support systems in place yet they can not stop the abuse that happens.
The government in areas like ours should step in, enforces laws that will punish these malpractices of abduction that should be the focus not making adoption laws, but of most have the best interest of these children at heart.
After all the children are our only hope and gateway to peace and stability, you can not change the old corrupted, outdated and green minds but you can cultivate the new fresh minds that can finally bring the long awaited dream to the nation.