The legislature’s Social Welfare, Environmental and Hygiene Committee yesterday passed a preliminary review of an amendment to the Children and Youth Welfare Act (兒童及少年福利法) which stipulates that only government-approved juristic institutions and registered placement and educational institutes for children and youths can provide adoption services.
The amendment to Article 15 of the act, which defines the institutions that are legally able to offer such services, was proposed to stop the illegal trade of infants.
Meanwhile, the committee also passed the preliminary review of amendments to articles 16, 17 and 18. The articles stipulate that except for cases involving adoptions by relatives, parents or guardians, state-approved children and youth welfare institutions that provide adoption services should search for proper adopters and evaluate the necessity of adoptions.
If adoption is deemed necessary, the right to adopt should be first granted to Taiwanese.
Results of evaluations conducted by welfare institutions are required if the adopter files an application at a local court. The court could ask the adopters to take preparatory courses, to have a mental health check or take alcohol and drug tests before being granted approval.
In addition, parents could seek approval for adoption at local courts if they disagree with a decision. They could also do so unilaterally if the whereabouts of the other parent of the child is unknown. The court could approve an adoption if it finds after investigation that it is in the best interests of the child.
The committee was originally scheduled to review amendments to articles 36 and 38, as well as a newly created article 37, which would regulate the content displayed in print journalism as well as that over the Internet. The committee did not get to those articles because of limited time.
The Children and Youth Welfare Act is mainly the responsibility of the Ministry of Interior. Other government agencies are also listed to help enforce the act, including the Government Information Office (GIO), the Industrial Development Bureau (IDB) at the Ministry of Economic Affairs and the National Communications Commission (NCC).
Based on the draft of the amendment, Article 36 would authorize the IDB to establish a rating system for online games. Article 38 would enable the NCC to regulate online content and enforce other complementary measures. The new Article 37 would put the GIO in charge of regulating the content in print journalism following the annulling of the Publishing Act in 1999.
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