In May 2007 the Canadian High Commission in Accra conducted a review of adoption in Liberia and reported that there are serious concerns about child trafficking in that country. The concerns centred around no legal functioning framework to ensure the legality of adoptions; lack of process to ensure children have not been abducted, trafficked or sold; and lack of informed parental consent being received in cases where biological parents are still living.
Effective May 1, 2008 adoptions from Liberia will not be facilitated in British Columbia. Exceptions will be made for those applying to adopt relatives. New homestudies, completed after this date, by British Columbia licensed agencies must have a notation in the body and on the sign off page that indicates they cannot be used for adoption from Liberia.
Letters of no objection (LONOs) will not be issued by the Director of Adoption for Liberia. Should new information be received from Canadian federal authorities, this moratorium will be reviewed and updated accordingly.
Top