Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child (IPC): ‘Intercountry Adoption - Alternatives and Controversies'

The African Child Policy Forum will hold its Fifth International Policy Conference on the African Child (IPC) on May 29th and 30th, 2012. 

Since 2004, ACPF has organised the International Policy Conference on the African Child (IPC). This is a major biennial event aimed at promoting policy dialogue and providing a platform for leading thinkers, policy makers, practitioners and activists to positively engage and interact on the challenges facing children in Africa and the policy choices that governments could consider to promote children’s rights and wellbeing. Four IPCs have been held so far, on the following themes: The African Child and the Family (2004), Violence against Girls in Africa (2006), Child Poverty in Africa (2008) and Budgeting for Children in Africa (2010).

The Conference is entitled ‘Intercountry Adoption”: Alternatives and Controversies’. The choice of the theme for the Fifth IPC was based on the growing interest in the adoption of children from Africa to other continents, and the ostensible lack of comprehensive regulation on the subject currently prevailing in the continent, which sometimes leads to discrepancies in the system, and abuse or exploitation of children. The situational analysis of intercountry adoption has not been comprehensively documented in Africa, creating a vacuum on the status of the system in the continent. 

This calls for a proper inquiry into the subject, from a pan-African perspective. In view of that, ACPF has found it necessary to bring together experts and policy makers at a global level to ponder and reflect on intercountry adoption and the implications of the growing interest in adopting children from Africa.   

For more information on the Conference and registration, please refer to www.africanchildforum.org/ipc