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Majority of adoption cases in 2011 were for U.S.
An overwhelming majority of adoption cases last year were for the United States, according to statistics from the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security.
Of the 124 adoption cases last year, there were 50 domestic and 74 international. In the latter category, 88% of the children went to United States, eight percent Canada, and three percent Caribbean. 
The Status of Children Bill 2009 paves the way for all children, whether they are of biological parents, adoptive parents or born in or out of wedlock, to have equal legal status. It will also give the courts the right to declare on application to determine parentage and cater for parentage testing procedures like DNA testing, among a host of other reforms.
The Status of Children Bill 2009 will repeal and re-enact the provisions of the 1983 Children Born Out of Wedlock (Removal of Discrimination) Act 1983, and sets out the manner in which Wills or other instruments made on and after May, 1983 are to be interpreted.
Meanwhile, the Adoption of Children Bill 2009 stipulates that authorities charged with making adoption orders consider the best interests of the child, both in childhood and in later life as being “of paramount consideration.” It provides that the adoption is to be regarded as a service for the child and not for adults wishing to acquire the care of the child.
Indeed, the Bill states that no adult has a right to adopt the child and if the child is able to form his/her own views on a matter concerning adoption, he/she shall be given an opportunity to express those views freely and those views are to be given due weight in the circumstances. The law provides that the child’s given name or names, identity, language and cultural and religious ties should, as far as possible, be identified and preserved.
The bill proposes that determining the best interests of the child, the decision maker is to have regard to any wishes expressed by the child, the child’s age, gender, maturity, level of understanding, and background and family relationships and any other characteristics of the child that the decision maker thinks are relevant.
Additionally, other factors to be weighed would include the child’s physical, emotional and educational needs, including the child’s sense of personal, family and cultural identity, as well as any disability that the child has, any wishes expressed by either or both of the parents of the child. The suitability and capacity of each adopter, or any other person, to provide for the needs of the child and alternatives to the making of an adoption order, are also to be weighed.
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