Child protection takes priority

INTERNATIONAL legal cooperation and child welfare expert Ignacio Goicoechea has expressed optimism that Thursday’s high-level plenary convened by the United States Embassy in Jamaica will help crystallise the island’s position on The Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption.

Delivering remarks during the opening session of the event Goicoechea, who serves as the representative for Latin America and the Caribbean for The Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), said the timing of the discussions was right, given the fact that Jamaica is this year in the process of reviewing key legislation supporting its child protection framework.

“We have already heard the will of the Jamaican Government to join an international convention; we have already heard that. Incidentally, this is the year where the child protection system and the adoption law are being reviewed, discussed. So this international dimension of child protection should only feed in this exercise, and not be seen as isolated. That’s why I’m so happy and looking forward for these discussions we will have today, and hopefully we can finalise this exercise with some concrete ideas, ways forward, so everyone can put its part to make a difference for many, many children that are really in need to have this right of a family secured,” Goicoechea said.