About Guatemala

A great debate is currently taking place in Guatemala due to the number of international adoptions that have occurred over the last three years. Nearly one out of 100 Guatemalan children is adopted by an American family, and the pace is increasing with every passing year. These numbers have brought the adoption issue to the attention of legislators, the local government and the international community.

For many years, adoptions in Guatemala were a simple process that required only a lawyer and the approval of the Solicitor General’s Office. The Guatemalan government was pressed by the international community to ratify the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption, which Guatemala acceded on November 26, 2002.

The relatively simple process for adopting a child, and the opportunity for single women to be eligible to adopt, made Guatemala the fourth provider of international adoptions in the world. The geographic proximity of Guatemala to the United States was a vital factor to make the country a main destination for the adoption of children. Just in the last semester of 2006 around 2,000 children were adopted by American families.

The Guatemalan government and the Congress are planning to implement new adoption processing procedures to increase protection for the children. On March 2nd, 2007 the Vice President of Guatemala, Eduardo Stein Barillas, issued The Manual of Good Practices in Guatemalan adoptions. This manual is intended to be a first step to prepare authorities for a national law that would implement the Hague Convention of Intercountry Adoption. The U.S. Department of State issued a guide for the American citizens interested in adopting a Guatemalan child, which can be of great help to anybody interested in an international adoption.

Continue reading: Current Status of Guatemalan Adoptions