Ethiopia is one of the biggest source countries for international adoptions by US citizens, accounting for about 20% of the total.

Celebrities Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are among those who have adopted children from Ethiopia.

However, in 2013, a US couple were convicted of killing an adopted Ethiopian girl.

That case triggered a debate about foreign adoption, the BBC’s Emmanuel Igunza in Ethiopia’s capital Addis Ababa says.

The adoption process in Ethiopia has also faced serious questions with rights groups saying that it was prone to abuse by human traffickers who saw it as lucrative market.

Two years ago, Denmark stopped the adoption of children from Ethiopia.

Lawmakers now say orphans and other vulnerable children should be cared for under locally available support mechanisms in order to protect them.

But some MPs said that the country has insufficient local services to cater for vulnerable children.

More than 15,000 Ethiopian children have been adopted in the US since 1999.

Many are also taken to European countries such as Spain, France and Italy.

–

Source: BBC

The post Ethiopia bans foreign adoptions appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The country’s High Court made the ruling today.

The singer already has two children from the African country – David, adopted in 2006, and Mercy, adopted in 2009.

Malawian judiciary spokesman Mlenga Mvula said the singer was inside the court in Lilongwe when the ruling was given.

“In fact, at the time we were granting her the permission she was in the courtroom with her lawyers,” Mr Mvula said.

But less than two weeks ago Madonna denied reports she’d applied to adopt any more children, during a charity visit to Malawi.

On 25 January, a Malawian government spokesperson told news outlets the 58-year-old singer had appeared in court and had “filed an application expressing interest” to adopt two children.

But Madonna said she was only there for charity purposes.

“The rumours of an adoption process are untrue,” she said in a statement.

“I am in Malawi to check on the children’s hospital in Blantyre and my other work with Raising Malawi and then heading home.”

Madonna founded the children’s charity Raising Malawi in 2006, the same year she adopted David.

Last summer, she took David and Mercy to visit the orphanages where they lived before being adopted.

The star has two other children – Lourdes and Rocco – from previous relationships.

–

Source: BBC

The post Madonna granted permission to adopt two children from Malawi appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.