Ethiopia passes Bill banning Child Adoption by Foreigners

Ethiopia passes Bill banning Child Adoption by Foreigners

The parliament in Ethiopia has passed a bill banning the adoption of children in the country by foreigners, BBC reports.

Ethiopia’s parliament has passed legislation banning the adoption of children by foreigners. The country is a popular destination for families seeking to adopt, with celebrities Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie among those who have adopted children from there.

The adoption of Ethiopian children has caused heated debate in the country since 2013, when a 13-year-old girl died mysteriously in the US leading to the conviction of her adopted parents.

Now the country’s parliament has passed a law ending all hopes of prospective parents getting children from Ethiopia.

Instead, lawmakers say orphans and other vulnerable children should be cared for locally in order to protect them from abuse and neglect abroad.

But some MPs raised concerns that there were insufficient services in Ethiopia to care for such children.

Two years ago, Denmark controversially stopped the adoption of children from Ethiopia over what it said were concerns about possible human trafficking.

Ethiopia, a country popular among foreigners looking to adopt children, has said orphans should be cared for locally.

The adoption by people from foreign countries has often been a cause for debate, with Denmark banning adoption from the country for fears of child trafficking.

Ethiopian lawmakers have ruled that vulnerable children should be catered for in the country to protect them from abuse abroad.