Figures released by the Adoption Unit of the Department for Family Welfare reveal that between 1987 and this year there was a total of 718 local and inter-country adoptions by Maltese couples.
The bulk of the adoptions - 384 - were from Romania. Adoptions from Malta numbered 189. Forty-three children were adopted from the UK, 39 from Pakistan, 15 from Brazil and 12 from Albania. The rest were from a host of other countries.
Laura Agius, senior social worker and head of the Adoption Unit, told The Sunday Times: "In Malta it is very difficult to adopt. There are no children up for adoption. There are children in institutions mainly due to family problems."
Until recently the unit had bilateral agreements with Albania and Romania. But these adoptions were suspended in the past two years. Discussions are currently under way with Poland in the hope of signing an agreement.
Ms Agius pointed out that the current trend is to adopt from African countries like Ethiopia and Kenya.
"A child is brought to Malta through the assistance of foreign offices and consuls abroad after the legal adoption is finalised. The child must hold an entry visa, a letter proving the adoptive parents are suitable and evidence that the child is medically fit."
Prospective adoptive parents ought to be prepared prior to embarking on inter-racial adoptions. "Every time they will leave their home, everyone will know that their child is adopted. But if the parents accept the child's differences, I doubt the child would face insurmountable difficulties to integrate in society."
There are innumerable people desperate to have children and keen to adopt. "Waiting for the lucky chance to adopt is for them a gruelling time. It is a very protracted process - the waiting list is interminable."
For many of these couples, fostering isn't an option - it isn't a permanent arrangement. There are couples who opt to foster in the hope that they will eventually be able to adopt the child. But this isn't possible - it is their duty to prepare the child to return to his/her natural parents.
Ms Agius stressed that adoption takes place in the best interest of the child not of the parents. "We have to ensure that the couple would be the best possible parents for that particular child. Prospective parents must be prepared and aware of what they are going in for."
The guidelines for prospective adoptive parents published by the Adoption Unit in 2000 are based on principles established during the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The principles stress that the best interest of the child is of primary consideration.
Adoptions in Malta are regulated by the Civil Code, dating back to 1962. The guidelines point out that those eligible to adopt must be - single persons from 30 to 60 years of age or a couple who has been married and living together for at least five years. One of the spouses must be 30 years of age but not yet 60.
Those interested in adopting ought to seek advice on the procedures of the Adoption Unit at the Family Welfare Department. After applying at the department they are placed on a waiting list for assessment. The Department of Family Welfare submits a social report to the Court on notification of the prospective adoption.
Following application, prospective adoptive parents must wait for about six months to be assessed. During the assessment period, which lasts about six weeks, applicants have to submit several documents - formal birth and marriage certificates, police conduct certificates, blood tests for HIV and hepatitis, medical reports by a family doctor, photos of the applicants and a statement of family income.
A social worker then assesses the suitability of the applicants by visiting them at home. Ample issues are discussed. These include their motivation and reasons for adopting, their personality, marriage stability, lifestyle and hobbies, home environment, health conditions, prospects for the child and the possibility of adopting siblings and children with special needs.
The social worker draws up a Home Study Report which is presented to the Adoption and Fostering Panel - made up of a social worker, psychologist, doctor, an adoptive mother, teacher, priest and nun - which forwards its recommendations to the director of the Department of Family Welfare. The report is also presented to competent judicial authorities in Malta or in the country of origin of the child to be adopted.
After recommendations by the panel and acceptance by the department, the applicants may then choose to adopt from Malta or from another country.
The Adoption Unit also offers guidance and counselling, information and training to prospective parents.
"It can be quite traumatic for a child to be adopted from abroad. The child needs time to settle down in a new home, new family, new school, new language and a totally new culture. But after a while they do settle. Children adapt easily. Most parents feel that the first few weeks are the most difficult."
Adopting from abroad is a costly affair. Adoptions from Romania, due to the hefty lawyer fees, costed approximately Lm6,000, Ms Agius said. "Adopting from Albania was a less expensive affair - it costed between Lm3,000 and Lm4,000.
"Adoptive parents had to pay for all the necessary documents and their translation, and would also have to give a donation to the home where the child previously lived. In sharp contrast, when adopting in Malta parents would usually have to pay the fees of a procurator and lawyer."
"No hope situation"
"This 'no hope' situation is breaking the morale, and hearts of many who are suffering in silence alone," the Walsingham Foundation's president Anthony Penza toldThe Sunday Times.
The primary concern for couples who would like to adopt is that at present there are no options for 'mass' adoptions from other countries, as was the case in Romania, he said.
The Walsingham Foundation was set up last March, under the auspices of the Dar it-Tama organisation, Cospicua, on an initiative of its vice-president Eugene Sapiano, in the interest of adoptive parents or those wishing to adopt. Fr Mark Montebello provided consultancy for the proper set-up of the venture.
Mr Penza said that those who wish to adopt have been waging their fight alone until now. "The current situation requires a pooling of our resources to help each other get adoption back on track.
"When dealing with a delicate, complex and emotional issue such as adoption, one cannot be too careful that all procedures are correct, done with due care and diligence, while treating the would-be adoptive parents in a sensitive manner. The procedure from pre-adoption to the successful conclusion in the Second Hall of the Civil Court is a time of enormous stress, facing the spectre of uncertainty and feeling the bite of frustration."
Mr Penza explained that the foundation is a non-profit, independent NGO, working closely with the Ministry of Social Policy and the Department of Social Welfare with the aim of facilitating the adoption process while maintaining the highest possible standards of transparency and accountability.
In the hope of forming new, happy families, the foundation orients and assists Maltese married couples through the adoption process, making it easier and less painful. Couples are prepared for adoption and supported after. The foundation advocates the improvement of the legal system governing adoption practices, and fosters the better understanding and treatment of adoptive parents.
The foundation assists prospective adoptive parents by managing, conducting and supervising the process of adoption for its members. "It identifies, establishes and maintains permanent formal or informal links with governments, organisations, foundations, agencies, individuals or any other entity, that provide adoption services anywhere in the world.
"It advocates the improvement of the legal apparatus governing adoption practices in Malta. It co-ordinates medical, psychological and/or therapeutic treatment for couples during the process of adoption."
Mr Penza stressed that the foundation is not an adoption agency and its supreme consideration is the child's best interest.
Mr Penza pointed out that the foundation aspires to a state-of-the-art Family Law dealing with today's issues with realistic expectations promoting adoption of Maltese children by Maltese families and giving institutionalised children the opportunity to have a normal, integrated family life.
"We also await the ratification of The Hague Convention governing inter-country adoptions, giving a firm legal groundwork as a guarantee that we are a trustworthy nation, giving us credentials and credibility on the international scene."
The Walsingham Foundation may be contacted on tel: 7906-9527, fax: 2180-9571, e-mail: adoptionmalta@ hotmail.com, or by writing to: The Secretary c/o Dar it-Tama, Matty Grima Street, Cospicua CSP 02. The foundation holds a general meeting every fourth Wednesday of the month. Everyone is welcome.