In the Guardian (29-07-2006) from Associated Press, Juan Carlos Llorca has written about the potential impact next year of the U.S. ratification of the international treaty on adoption.
"Applications are surging
as parents rush to take advantage of the current process, which will
apply to any request filed before the treaty takes effect in mid-2007.
Of the 4,100 cases pending in [Josefina] Arellano's office [Guatemalan Government], more than 3,000 were
filed this year... Americans have adopted 17,863 Guatemalan children in the last nine years, French couples 1,440, and Guatemalans 576. Americans adopted 3,748 of the Guatemalan babies born last year."
In the UK over the last ten years, according to the UK Government, Guatemala with 205 adoptions has been the number three destination for adoptions of children from abroad after China (1,441) and India (235). The processing of adoptions makes up a lot of the workload of the UK Consulate in Guatemala. Going by the information posted on UK's Department of Education and Skills- this continues to be the case:
"The British Consulate in Guatemala has asked us to inform prospective adopters that it will no longer be able to respond to enquiries about the progress of individual adoption cases. Responding to the large number of enquiries currently being received is severely restricting the Consulate's ability to meet its consular duties, including work on adoption cases."
Adoption continues to be a thorny issue, here the BBC's Emily Buchanan speaks as a parent of adopted child (from China) and for another perspective on adoptions in Guatemala see this recent article from Prensa Libre (09-07-2006). The BBC's Assignment radio programme did a documentary on adoption in Guatemala in 2000 which is still online and still offers insights into the issues involved.
