Study on illegal adoptions 2017, para. 80

Paragraph
Paragraph text
Illegal adoptions are rarely investigated and perpetrators are rarely prosecuted, in part because there is a lack of comprehensive legislation criminalizing such illicit practices as illegal adoptions. Many of the illegal acts involved in illegal adoptions are criminalized individually as minor offences (e.g. falsification of documents) and sanctions rarely reflect the gravity of the crime. Moreover, illegal adoptions are usually not investigated ex officio but require ex parte complaints. Criminal investigation and prosecution strategies targeted at criminal structures involved in the sale of and trafficking in children and illegal adoptions are also absent. Consequently, few individuals and criminal networks are ever prosecuted for illicit activities in connection with adoptions, which results in impunity.
Legal status
Non-negotiated soft law
Body
Special Rapporteur on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, including child prostitution, child pornography and other child sexual abuse material
Document type
Special Procedures' report
Means of adoption
N.A.
Topic(s)
  • Governance & Rule of Law
  • Movement
  • Violence
Person(s) affected
  • Children
Year
2017
Paragraph type
Other
Paragraph number
80