Abandoned child legally assigned foster parents for first time in Maldivian history
21 Sep 2011, 6:56 PM
Eleanor Johnstone
The Family Court has assigned foster parents to a 10-month-old baby for the first time in Maldivian history. The child, who had been abandoned, was transferred from state care to a married couple on Sunday, September 18.
“This is the first time that non-biological parents have been given legal guardianship of a child in the Maldives,” said Ilham Mohamed, a local NGO worker familiar with the matter.
Mohamed said that foster parents previously risked the biological parents turning up to demand money and/or the child. “This example will make the process more secure,” she said.
The new foster parents will have the same legal rights given in adoption, except for the rights to consent to marriage and leave an inheritance.
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