DRC passes law prohibiting same-sex couples adopting children

AP photo

By

Darell Maurice

On May 31st, the Democratic Republic of the Congo Senate adopted the draft law on adoption of children in the country. The text prohibits same-sex couples and transsexuals from adopting Congolese children.

“An individual can adopt, a couple can adopt – Provided he is not gay or transgender,” said the president of the Administrative and Legal Policy Committee (LPAC) of the upper house of parliament, Sébastien Adambu.

He considered it important to take these steps to regulate international adoptions of Congolese children.

“With regard to international adoption, it is very important that we take safeguards to allow that the Congolese child adopted by a foreign family is in a peaceful framework for its development,” explaining what he said.

Sébastien Adambu stressed that a Congolese child loses his citizenship once adopted by foreign parents “but that does not prevent (him/her) from maintaining links with parents he/she left.”

Since 2013, the Congolese government has blocked the adoption of Congolese children by ‘foreigners’. This decision was officially justified by the need to investigate the welfare of children adopted abroad after allegations that some were ill-treated or adopted by homosexual couples.

Darell Maurice

Darell Maurice is a Journalist based in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s capital city Kinshasa and works for Canal7kintv. He also blogs here.