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The administrative phase of adoption in Ecuador
and the rights of children and adolescents
La fase administrativa de la adopción en Ecuador y los
derechos de niños, niñas y adolescentes
Morelia Cedeño Zambrano
Universidad Laica Vicente Rocafuerte
City:
Guayaquil
Country:
Ecuador
Richard Augusto Proaño Mosquera
Universidad Laica Vicente Rocafuerte
City:
Guayaquil
Country:
Ecuador
Original article (analysis)
RFJ, No. 11, 2022, pp. 211 - 245, ISSN 2588-0837
ABSTRACT:
This research is based on the information obtained
from the studies carried out in the administrative phase of the
adoption process, which takes place in the Ministry of Economic
and Social Inclusion (MIES) in the city of Guayaquil. In which it
is possible to analyse in-depth the process that is carried out in
this institution, in terms of the time it takes to finalise the process
in this phase, and in this way to be able to determine whether a
legislative reform would be necessary, which would allow many
children and adolescents to have a family, guaranteeing their
rights that are included in our Magna Carta. Analysing in detail
the results obtained, it can be determined that the knowledge
of the administrative phase of adoption is partial, as well as the
dissatisfaction of the applicants to the adoption process, who
are somewhat dissatisfied with the delay in the process. It is for
this reason that I would like to express the need to propose a
DOI 10.26807/rfj.v11i11.360
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legislative reform to the Code for Children and Adolescents, so
that the administrative phase can be carried out legally within
a timeframe determined by law, thus ensuring that the rights of
children and adolescents are respected.
KEYWORDS:
Law, adoption, family, children.
RESUMEN:
Ese artículo se la ha realizado en base a la
información obtenida de los estudios realizados, en la fase
administrativa del proceso de adopción, que se ventila en
el Ministerio de Inclusión Económica y Social (MIES) de la
ciudad de Guayaquil. En la cual se logra analizar a profundidad
el trámite que se realiza en dicha institución, en cuanto a los
tiempos que se lleva para poder finalizar el proceso en dicha
fase y de esta forma poder determinar si sería necesario una
reforma legislativa, la cual permita a muchos niños, niñas y
adolescentes, tener una familia, garantizando sus derechos que
se encuentran inmiscuidos en nuestra Carta Magna. Analizando
a detalle los resultados obtenidos, se puede determinar que
el conocimiento de la fase administrativa de la adopción es
parcial, así también como la inconformidad de los postulantes al
proceso de adopción, que se encuentran un poco inconformes
por la demora del trámite. Es por esta razón que manifiesto
la necesidad de proponer una reforma legislativa al Código
de la Niñez y Adolescencia, para que de esta manera la fase
administrativa se desarrolle legalmente en un tiempo que la ley
determine y de esta forma haciendo respetar los derechos de
los niños, niñas y adolescentes.
PALABRAS CLAVE:
Derecho, adopción, familia, niñez.
JEL CODE:
H31, K23.
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INTRODUCTION
At present, adoption as a legal figure is included in the
Code for Children and Adolescents, as an important tool to
guarantee the rights of children and adolescents, one of which is
to be able to find a family according to the needs of the child or
adolescent who is in the process of adoptability (abandonment).
The procedure for the adoption process is carried out by the
Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES), which can
be a bit lengthy for some families or individuals, due to various
factors.
This adoption process in our country, our Code for
Children and Adolescents, establishes that there are two stages
to begin, one of which is the administrative phase. This phase,
which is not legally regulated by terms or deadlines in our
Code, tends to produce delays during the process, which does
not allow it to be agile, thus violating the rights of children and
adolescents to have a family.
This article has brought together various legal,
conceptual, normative, doctrinal, and comparative arguments,
which have led me to analyse the existing problem in depth.
In the same way, I detail the methods and techniques
used to carry out this research, which led me to give the results
obtained from them, which consist of the opinions obtained
from officials of the Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion
(MIES), based on questions based on the proposed research,
where I proceed to verify my objectives and hypotheses set out
in this research.
Taking into account the information obtained from the
interviews and surveys, we proceed to present the pertinent
conclusions and recommendations, to finally develop the
proposal for legislative reform to our Code of Childhood
and Adolescence, with the sole objective of making the
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administrative phase in which the adoption process is carried
out more agile, respecting the constitutional rights of the
children and adolescents and guaranteeing them a dignified
life, assigning them the best families for the needs that each
one requires, in the same way taking into consideration this
investigation which remains as a source of study and continues
to be involved in this subject and guaranteeing their rights.
1. CONTEXTUALISATION OF ADOPTION
Adoption is such an ancient legal institution that it
is mentioned in the Bible, specifically in the part of Moses,
which is probably one of the oldest and best-known adoptions.
Despite this, only 200 years B.C., it appears later regulated in a
written law which is the Code of Hammurabi, Rule 185 of that
legal body states: “If one took in adoption, as if it were one’s
child, giving it his name and raised it, it cannot be claimed by
his relatives”, but Rule 186 states that “If one adopted a child
and when he took it did violence on the father or the mother,
the child shall return to its parents’ house”. And so, like
these two articles already cited, there are numerous articles
concerning Adoption.
In short, what I want to show is that adoption is not a
new institution but has a centuries-old history.
After this, Adoption was present in India, where it
was transmitted to the Hebrews and they, in turn, passed this
tradition on to Egypt, followed by Greece and then Rome, where
it regained prominence due to the religious purposes it pursued.
Between 284 and 556 A.D., the Christian Church began
to have a great influence on Roman society, when principles of
piety and mercy towards orphans developed, so that citizens
saw to the care of those in need through the figure of Adoption.
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The purpose of this institution was to go beyond a
mere formality for the
pater-familias
to have successors to
their property and to look after the care of homeless children
or adolescents in obedience to religious norms. Which, it took
several decades to be recognised in society as a juridical figure
in which filial ties are created with the legal union of the new
family, but not of the consanguineous family.
In that same period, Adoption had two types:
adoptio
,
which consisted of incorporating a subject called
alieni iuris
into
the family, who was completely detached from the power of the
pater
to whom he initially belonged and became part of the new
family. And the second type was known as
adrogatio
, which
consisted of incorporating a subject called sui iuris, on whom
another family depended and who joined the new family group
with all its members.
Likewise, in the Justinian Code,
datio in adoption
is
defined as the delivery in adoption, which took place through
a declaration of will of the adopting
pater
familias, with the
consent of the adoptee and of the person who had him under his
parental authority, this also established two types of adoption:
The full
adoptio
in which the adoptee became a full member
of the family, with all the rights and obligations to which the
members under the power of the head were subject; and, the full
adoptio
minus does not detach the adoptee from his own family,
nor does it subtract him from the parental authority of the
pater familias
of the group to which he naturally belongs. This
adoption only had patrimonial effects and was limited to the
right of inheritance to the adopting
pater-familias (
Espindola,
2018).
The jurist Manuel Chávez, in his work La familia en
el Derecho (relaciones jurídicas paternas - filiales), states that:
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The word adoption comes from the Latin
adoptio
, and
adopt, from adoptare, from ad, to and optare, to desire
(action of adopting or adopting). In other words, the
adoptee is received as a child, not because he or she was
naturally a child, but because it is a technical creation
of the law, intending to protect underprivileged minors
and contribute to the strengthening of the family,
which allows the continuation of the species.
(Chávez,
2010, n. p. )
2. CHILDREN’S RIGHTS
The scholar María Almeida Albuja, in her work
Declaratoria de Adoptabilidad y Los Derechos de los Niños,
states:
The doctrine of Integral Protection that our legislation
embraces, is opposed to the Doctrine of the Irregular
Situation, pointing out the differences between the
two, the general characteristics of the rights of children
and adolescents, and the principles of application.
(Almeida, 2016, p. 23)
This scholar mentions how our legislation makes a
great difference between the doctrine when dealing with the
rights of children and adolescents, as well as how important the
term adoptability is for the child to be adopted. She also states:
“The lack of a reasonable term in the declaration of adoptability
in Ecuador affects the right of children and adolescents to
identity, to live in their biological family, and to enjoy family
and community life”. (Almeida, 2016).
In this way, many children and adolescents lose the
right to live with a dignified family, whether biological or
adoptive, as there is no time limit within which these children
can be declared adoptable.
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3. THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE CHILD AS A PRINCIPLE
The jurist Farith Simón Campaña (2014), in his work Interés
Superior del niño: Técnicas de reducción de la discrecionalidad
abusiva, mentions that:
The best interest of the child occupies a central place
in legislation, jurisprudence, and doctrine relating to
family law and the rights of children and adolescents.
The norms that regulate the legal status, protection, and
family relations of children and adolescents referred
to the best interests of the child in a permanent way,
which is why there is no possibility of avoiding its
study. It is the axis around which all institutions for the
protection of minors must revolve.
There is no doubt about its importance, but there is
doubt about its content, scope, and application. Much
of the specialised literature considers that this is partly
due to its status as an indeterminate legal concept and
therefore its open-ended formulation gives rise to
difficulties of application to concrete cases. (p. 11)
He also makes a very important point in his work and
mentions it as follows:
In all matters concerning the care of a child by persons
other than the child’s own parents, the interests of the
child, in particular the child’s need for affection and the
child’s right to security and continuing care, must be
the paramount consideration. (Simon, 2014, p. 43)
It is here that we can analyse that the best interests of
the child should be paramount in any law in any country, as
children and adolescents have the primary need for the care and
emotional attachment of an adult, whether it is their biological
or legal parent.
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Article 3, paragraph 1, of the Convention on the Rights
of the Child, gives the child the right to have his or her best
interests considered and given primary consideration in all
actions and decisions affecting him or her, in both the public
and private spheres.
The Constitution recognises the principle of the best
interests of the child in Article 44, first paragraph, which
establishes that the State, society, and the family shall promote
as a priority the comprehensive development of children and
adolescents and shall ensure the full exercise of their rights;
the principle of their best interests shall be observed, and their
rights shall prevail over those of other persons.
Likewise, Article 1 of the Code for Children and
Adolescents (2003), regulates the enjoyment and exercise
of the rights, duties, and responsibilities of children and
adolescents and the means to make them effective, guarantee
them, and protect them, in accordance with the principle of the
best interests of children and adolescents and the doctrine of
comprehensive protection.
4. THE RIGHT TO HAVE A FAMILY
Article 16, paragraph 3 of the Declaration of Human
Rights, and Article 17, paragraph 1 of the American Convention
on Human Rights (Pact of San José) state that “The family is the
natural and fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to
protection by society and the State” (American Convention on
Human Rights (American Convention on Human Rights, 1978).
Paragraph five of the Preamble to the Convention on
the Rights of the Child (1990) recognises that:
The family, as the fundamental group of society and the
natural environment for the growth and well-being of
all its members, particularly children, should receive
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the protection and assistance necessary to enable it to
assume its full responsibilities within the community.
(p. 5)
Article 67 of our Constitution (2008) recognises the
family in its different types and establishes that:
The State shall protect it as the fundamental nucleus of
society and shall guarantee conditions that fully favor
the achievement of its aims. These shall be constituted
by legal or de facto ties and shall be based on the
equality of rights and opportunities of its members.
(art. 67)
5. LEGAL DEFINITIONS OF ADOPTION
Our Code of Childhood and Adolescence (2003), in
article 151, gives us the purpose of adoption: “The purpose of
adoption is to guarantee a suitable, permanent and definitive
family for the child or adolescent who is socially and legally
suitable to be adopted” (art. 151).
The Civil Code of Ecuador (2005) has a definition of
adoption, which is established in Article 314, understanding it
as “an institution by virtue of which a person, called the adopter,
acquires the rights and undertakes the obligations of a father or
mother with respect to a minor who is called the adoptee”.
The Ecuadorian Civil Code also gives us a certain
restriction for the adoption to take place and that is that it is
understood to be any minor who has not reached 21 years of age.
The Civil Code speaks of adoption as an institution
in which the adopter acquires rights and obligations with the
adopted child or adolescent, which means that he/she will
fulfill the same role and role as if he/she were his/her biological
child and give him/her the same care.
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On the other hand, the Code for Children and
Adolescents, guarantees that the child or adolescent, who is
legally in a state of adoptability, can form and have a family,
thus guaranteeing that all the rights that the law provides are
fulfilled.
On the other hand, our Constitution of the Republic
(2008) in its article 67, first paragraph, states:
The family in its various forms shall be recognised.
The State shall protect it as the fundamental nucleus of
society and shall guarantee conditions that fully favour
the achievement of its aims. These shall be constituted
by legal or de facto ties and shall be based on the
equality of rights and opportunities of its members.
(art. 67.1)
With this we can see that our Constitution and
therefore the state protects the family as a fundamental part
of society, in which it guarantees the rights of all its members
without any distinction, that it does not matter if any member
is an adopted person, he or she will be able to enjoy his or her
rights and obligations as such.
Article 69 of the Constitution of the Republic (2008)
also speaks of the protection of the rights of family members,
in its numeral 6 it says, “Daughters and sons shall have the same
rights regardless of their filiation or adoption background”,
and it is here where we see that the state and our Magna Carta
guarantee children and adolescents who have been adopted.
It is here that we come to a clear understanding that
adoption is not based on a contract, but that over time this
institution has been evolving in society and strengthening
greater protection for children and adolescents, in order to
guarantee them a family, in which they can enjoy the same
rights and obligations with all its members, with total equality
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as if they were biological children since the state will protect
them as such.
6. REQUIREMENTS FOR ADOPTION ACCORDING TO THE
CODE OF CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE
The jurist Jorge Parra Benítez (2010), in his work La
Filiación en Derecho de Familia, and within the Colombian
legislation, states that:
The requirements for adoption are 1) From the point
of view of the adopter: a) capacity; b) to be at least 25
years of age; c) to be 15 years older than the adoptive
parent; and d) to ensure sufficient physical, mental
and social suitability. 2) From the point of view of the
adoptive parent, being a minor. (3) From the point of
view of the act of adoption, it is required that the blood
parents of the minor adoptive child have consented
to the adoption, or the minor adoptive child has been
declared adoptable. (s. p.)
The Childhood and Adolescence Code, in force since
2003, on the requirements of both the adoptee and the adopter,
in its articles 158 and 159, states:
Article 158, on the legal capacity of the child or
adolescent to be adopted:
The judge may only declare that a child or adolescent is
legally fit to be adopted when, from the investigations
carried out, it is established beyond doubt that he/
she is in any of the following cases: Orphanhood with
respect to both parents; 2. Impossibility of determining
who his or her parents are or, as the case may be, his or
her relatives up to the third degree of consanguinity; 3.
Deprivation of parental authority of both parents; and,
4. Consent of the father, mother, or both parents, as the
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case may be, who have not been deprived of parental
authority. In the cases of numbers 1, 3, and 4, the judge
shall declare adoptability provided that, in addition
to the circumstances described therein, the child or
adolescent lacks other relatives up to the third degree of
consanguinity, or these are unable to assume his or her
care and protection in a permanent and stable manner.
The judge who declares the adoptability of a child or
adolescent shall notify the Adoption Technical Unit of
the respective jurisdiction within a maximum period
of ten days from the date on which the judgement is
enforceable. (Childhood and Adolescence Code, 2003,
art. 158).
Article 159 on the requirements for adopters:
Prospective adopters must meet the following
requirements:
1. Be domiciled in Ecuador or in one of the states with
which Ecuador has signed adoption agreements.
2. Be legally capable.
3. Be in full exercise of political rights.
4. Be over twenty-five years of age.
5. have a difference in age of not less than fourteen nor
more than forty-five years with the adoptee. The
minimum age difference shall be reduced to ten years
in the case of adoption of the child of the spouse or
cohabitant, in the case of a de facto union that meets
the legal requirements. These age limitations shall not
apply to cases of adoption between relatives. In the case
of couples, the age limits shall apply to the youngest
spouse or cohabitant.
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6. In the case of an adoptive couple, the couple must be
heterosexual and be united for more than three years,
in a marriage or de facto union that meets the legal
requirements.
7. To be in adequate physical and mental health to fulfil
parental responsibilities.
8. to have the necessary financial resources to ensure that
the adoptee’s basic needs are met; and
9. No criminal record for offences punishable by
imprisonment. (Childhood and Adolescence Code,
2003, art. 159).
The requirements established in the current legal
regulations are aimed at gathering a profile that is apt and
qualified to be able to access the process of adopting a child,
by virtue of the principle of the best interests of the child and
the regulations that protect this group of people of priority
attention, in addition to certain general characteristics that
must be considered, There are also the requirements of
emotional stability, comfort that can be offered to the child
or adolescent or group of siblings, depending on the case,
economic possibilities, customs, among others that can be
considered that will guarantee an adequate environment for the
child or adolescent and ensure his or her integral development
and dignified life.
6.1. Prohibitions on adoption
The jurist Fernando Albán (2009), in his work
Derechos de la Niñez y Adolescencia (Rights of Children and
Adolescents), states that:
The legislator has established two grounds by virtue of
which adoption is prohibited: a) Of the unborn child;
and b) By predetermined candidates, except when the
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child or adolescent to be adopted is a relative within the
fourth degree of consanguinity of the candidate adopter
or the child of the spouse or cohabitant in cases of de
facto union that meet the legal requirements. (p. 12)
The Childhood and Adolescence Code, in its article 163
on prohibited adoptions, mentions:
Adoption is prohibited: 1. of the unborn child; and 2.
by predetermined candidates, except when the child
or adolescent to be adopted is a relative, within the
fourth degree of consanguinity, or a child of the spouse
or cohabitant in cases of de facto unions that meet
the legal requirements. However, even in these cases,
the prospective adoptive parents must be declared
suitable according to the general rules. (Childhood and
Adolescence Code, 2003, art. 163).
Likewise, Art. 166 of the Childhood and Adolescence
Code establishes the relative prohibitions of the administrative
phase:
1. The pre-assignment of a family to a child or adolescent,
except in cases of difficult adoption, whether due
to illness, disability, age older than 4 years, or other
duly justified cases; and 2. The matching of a child or
adolescent before the legal declaration of adoptability,
the preparation, presentation, and approval of the
report on his or her physical, psychological, legal,
family, and social situation, and the declaration of the
suitability of the adopter. (Childhood and Adolescence
Code, 2003, art. 166).
In our legislation, it is forbidden to adopt even when
the child is unborn, i.e. when it is still in the womb of its
biological mother, or when these candidates for adoption are
predetermined, i.e. when these candidates want to choose a
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certain child, but nevertheless, there is a specific case that can
be given and that is when they are relatives within the fourth
degree of consanguinity, or child of the spouse or cohabitant,
but nevertheless, all these candidates must be declared suitable.
All this is in order to obtain a suitable adoption.
Thus, we can say that our current legislation recognises,
or rather is embodied in the law, two main conditions that cannot
occur in adoption, which are as follows: one is for the minor,
which is that he/she cannot be the subject of any adoption
as long as he/she has not been born; and the other is for the
adopter, which is that he/she cannot be predetermined, as long
as he/she is immersed in the cases that the law recognises and
in the cases of difficult adoption, which are due to the care that
is taken at the moment of requesting the requirements of the
adopter and when proceeding with the adoption procedure
as such since these adoptions that are carried out must be
suitable, which is why our legislation only establishes these two
exceptions.
7. THE ADMINISTRATIVE PHASE OF ADOPTION
7.1. Purpose of the administrative phase of adoption
Article 165 of the Childhood and Adolescence Code
(2003), on the object of the administrative phase, mentions:
All judicial adoption proceedings shall be preceded by
an administrative phase whose purpose is: 1. to study
and report on the physical, psychological, legal, family,
and social situation of the person to be adopted; 2. to
declare the suitability of the candidates for adoption,
and 3. to assign, by administrative resolution, a family
to a child or adolescent. This power is the prerogative
of the corresponding Family Placement Committee.
(art. 165)
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The administrative phase of adoption, as described
by Almeida (2016), has as its objective: “To assign a child or
adolescent, who has been declared adoptable, to a family.
Moreover, a matching process is carried out, once the family
has been accepted” (n. p.).
The jurist Alcides Morales Acacio (2013), in his work
Lecciones de Derecho de Familia, states that: “It consists of
protecting the adopted minor, child or adolescent, who assumes
the position of parent to give him or her a true and adequate
home and treat the minor as a child” (p. 54).
Nelly Bernarda Campoverde Rengifo (2011) states that:
In this Administrative Phase, we will focus in detail on
each of the requirements that have to be fulfilled for
the adoption to be carried out in the best possible way
without leaving out any detail because everything is
important since the integrity of a child, both physical
and psychological, is at stake. (p. 34)
Article 21 of the Convention on the Rights of the
Child (1990) states that:
States Parties familiar with or permitting the system
of adoption shall ensure that the best interests of the
child are a primary consideration and shall: (a) ensure
that the adoption of the child is authorized only by
competent authorities who determine, in accordance
with applicable law and procedures and on the basis of
all pertinent and reliable information, that the adoption
is permissible in view of the child’s status in relation
to his or her parents, relatives, and legal guardians and
that, where required, the persons concerned have given
their informed consent to the adoption on the basis of
such counselling as may be necessary. (Art. 21).
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This Convention regulates the competent authorities
that direct and authorise an adoption with correct adherence
and development of the respective adoption process, in which
they follow an adequate rule for the correct functioning of the
figure. In Ecuador, this regulation mentioned in the Convention
on the Rights of the Child is complied with, since administrative
organisms have been created in the different zones of Ecuador,
which oversee studying the adoption process and decreeing its
convenience.
Article 167 of the Childhood and Adolescence Code
(2003) states that the bodies in charge of the administrative
phase are: “The Technical Adoption Units of the Ministry of
Economic and Social Inclusion and the Family Allowance
Committees. (art. 167).
On the one hand, the Adoption Technical Unit is the
main body responsible for the administrative process, within
its competence is the power to approve or deny the adoption;
it is a dependency of the Ministry of Economic and Social
Inclusion. On the other hand, there is the Family Assignment
Committee, which has the purpose of assigning the child to
the receiving family, based on the recommendations of the
Adoption Technical Unit.
As we have already been able to observe, the object of
the administrative phase is the specific and detailed study of the
candidates for adoption, which focuses on their psychological,
legal, family, and social aspects, since it is necessary to analyse
the precedents of the candidate and to study their development
within society, as well as the family environment from which
they come, In the same way, the economic situation of the
candidate and to analyse if he/she is a suitable person to find
a suitable family which is responsible for covering the needs of
the child or adolescent who is going to be adopted, under the
protection of the rights and principles that protect him/her.
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The purpose of creating these institutions is to be able to
achieve an index of children who need to be adopted and assign
them a suitable family, so it is first necessary to know what is
the situation such as physical and mental health, family history,
and emotional virtues, as this will lead to a complete study of
the personality of the adopter and to conclude exactly what
would be the right person to frame his personality, referring to
the candidates for adoptive parents, this is the valuable task that
these administrative bodies have.
Within all these tasks that these administrative bodies
have, they also must study the economic situation of the
adoptive parents, because if they do not demonstrate their
solvency to cover the expenses of the child that can be assigned
to them, unfortunately, the adoption will not proceed. Once all
these studies have been analysed, the adoptive family that fits
in with the adoptee’s social environment can be assigned to the
adopted child.
From there, this leads to the judicial phase, which is
detailed in Art. 284 to 288 of the Childhood and Adolescence
Code.
The declaration of adoptability must be presented at
this stage as a procedural requirement for the Adoption Trial
to take place, as determined in Art. 158 of the Childhood and
Adolescence Code (2003), only the judge may declare that a
child or adolescent is legally fit to be adopted, or, when the
investigations carried out establish beyond doubt that he/she is
in any of the following cases:
1. Orphanhood in respect of both parents.
2. Inability to identify his or her parents or, where
applicable, relatives up to the third degree of
consanguinity.
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3. Deprivation of parental rights of both parents; and,
4. Consent of the father, mother, or both parents, as
appropriate, who have not been deprived of parental
authority.
In the cases of numbers 1, 3, and 4, the judge shall
declare adoptability whenever, in addition to the circumstances
described therein, the child or adolescent lacks other relatives
up to the third degree of consanguinity, or these are unable to
assume his or her care and protection in a permanent and stable
manner. The judge who declares the adoptability of a child or
adolescent shall notify the Adoption Technical Unit of the
respective jurisdiction within a maximum period of ten days
from the date on which the judgement becomes enforceable.
8. BODIES AND INSTITUTIONS INVOLVED IN THE
ADMINISTRATIVE PHASE OF ADOPTION
The scholar Farith Simon (2010), in his book Derechos
de la Niñez y Adolescencia (Rights of Children and Adolescents),
states that:
The administrative phase oversees the Adoption
Technical Units of the Ministry of Economic and
Social Inclusion, and the family placement committees.
Applications for national and international adoptions
are submitted to the Technical Adoption Units, which,
after evaluation and examination, issue their report. It
is up to the Family Assignment Committees, by means
of an administrative resolution, to assign suitable
families to a given child or adolescent, according to his
or her needs, characteristics, and conditions. (p. 65)
Article 167 of the Childhood and Adolescence Code
mentions the following: “Bodies in charge of the administrative
phase. - The bodies in charge of the administrative phase are
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1. The Technical Adoption Units of the Ministry of Social
Welfare; and 2. The Family Assignment Committees” (Código
de la Niñez y Adolescencia, 2003, art. 167).
The administrative phase is carried out by the MIES
- Directorate of Adoptions and the Zonal Technical Units,
also responsible for this phase are the Family Assignment
Committees (CAF) which are 28 autonomous bodies made up
of three members appointed; two by the Ministry in charge
of economic and social inclusion matters and one by the
municipal government where each committee has jurisdiction,
in this process intervene the Judges and Judges for Children and
Adolescents and the public and private Institutional Foster Care
Entities.
The Technical Unit for Adoption has an important role
because it is responsible for the preparation of reports, the study
of applications, the matching process, designing the training
of adoptive parents, regulating the respective procedures, and
guaranteeing adequate persons for the children or adolescents
according to their needs, all in the best possible way so that the
adoption process can be carried out, carrying out an adequate
study with transparency and guaranteeing the effectiveness
of the corresponding report, in order to place a suitable and
adequate family for the child or adolescent according to his or
her qualities and needs.
This Adoption Technical Unit must order medical,
social, psychological, legal and family studies to be carried out
on the minor and the candidates for adoption. The medical
report of the minor must be ordered by the Adoption Technical
Unit and the place where it is to be carried out shall be
specified, generally, it is done in a public institution through its
representatives who will analyse the physical condition of the
minor. Regarding the candidates for adoption, they must justify
their health by means of certificates, issued by a professional
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who will be responsible for accurately issuing the details of
their physical condition, this requirement must be fulfilled
from the moment of having presented the adoption application.
Within the psychological reports to be carried out,
the parties will prove their mental capacity. In the case of
the child, the aim is to prove that he or she is a well-balanced
person and that he or she is fit to be a member of a family. The
applicants must prove that they are able to adopt the child as a
son or daughter and that they are emotionally capable of raising
the child in the best possible way. This means that the parties
involved are mentally fit for this type of procedure.
Otherwise, the child would have a complication, since
minors require the care of a willing family that can take care of
him/her in an adequate and responsible manner, which would
greatly limit the list of possible adopters. The social reports
should contain, on the one hand, information about the adoptee,
detailing the background that led to his or her declaration of
adaptability, as well as a summary of his or her current situation
such as full name, age, personality, and, above all, his or her
acceptance of the procedure will be considered. In the case
of candidates for adoption, in addition to their general data, a
study of their economic, family, and emotional circumstances
must also be carried out, and the reasons why they wish to
adopt must also be established.
The legal study is a report that seeks to justify the
legitimacy with which the minor is acting, mention will be made
of documents such as the birth certificate and the declaration of
adoptability. Once these procedures have been completed and
if a favourable report is issued by the Adoption Technical Unit,
it will recommend to the Allocation Committee that the child
be placed in the applicant’s home.
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The requirements to be fulfilled at this stage must
be evaluated by the Family Placement Committee with the
objective of verifying that the candidates for adoption and the
potential adoptees are adequately capable of forming a family.
The aim is to ensure the future and well-being of the children
and adolescents, providing them with a family in accordance
with their needs, and above all that they are surrounded by
affection, harmony, and love.
9. REQUIREMENTS FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE PHASE OF
ADOPTION
Campoverde Rengifo (2011), states that:
1.- Preliminary orientation list with those interested
in adoption. 2.- Registration and attendance of a
preparation course for adoption applicants. 3.-
Submission of the application with the following
documents attached: a. Adoption application with
passport size photos. b. Copy of citizenship card and
ballot paper. c. Copy of passport in case of foreigners.
d. Birth certificate of the applicants. e. Birth certificate
of the applicants. f. Adoption application. Copy of
passport in case of being a foreigner. d. Birth certificate
of the applicants. e. Marriage certificate in case of being
a foreigner. Marriage certificate in the case of spouses or
sworn declaration of free union, if applicable. f. Death
certificate, in the case of foreigners. Death certificate,
in the case of widows or widowers. g. Registered
divorce decree, if the marital relationship has been
dissolved. h. Certificate of no previous criminal record.
i. Certificate of good physical health, issued by a public
health centre or a doctor in the exercise of his or her
duties. j. Certificate of employment and income. k.
Up-to-date photographs of the family background. l.
Two personal references. m. The commitment of the
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applicants to collaborate with the follow-up system,
after the adoption decision. 4.- Review of documents
to qualify legal area. 5.- Home visit and social study.
Psychological study. 7.- Technical, legal, social, and
psychological report. 8.- Qualification of suitability
in the following areas: legal, social, and psychological.
9.- Admission to the Family Allowance Committee.
10.- Information and preparation for applicants who
receive an allowance. 11.- Meeting and getting to
know each other: start of the parent-child relationship.
12.- Initiation of judicial proceedings. 13.- Adoption
decision, new birth certificate. 14. - post-adoption
accompaniment. (p. 64)
As previously mentioned about the application that
has to be presented in the administrative phase, in which a
detailed study is carried out for the candidates for adoption; in
our Civil Code, it can be seen that at the moment of presenting
the application the jurisdiction of the adopter has to be taken
into account so that in this way it can be carried out with its
respective judge and in the corresponding place, and thus
obtain a suitable adoption.
In our legislation, a procedure is required in which the
rules will be appreciated, and in this way, the applicants will
be exposed to know and review in detail each one of them and
avoid any anomaly against those rules, since, by fulfilling all the
requirements, it is assumed that this person is qualified at least
legally and formally.
10. MEANS OF VERIFICATION AT THE ADMINISTRATIVE
STAGE OF ADOPTION
1. The prospective adoptive parents must have the
following requirements in order to be able to proceed
to the follow-up or verification phase of the adoption:
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2. “Adoption Application with passport size photo in the
established format.
3. Copy of citizenship card or passport of the applicant’s
spouses (in case of foreigners).
4. Copies of the Voting Certificate of the applicant’s
spouses.
Full birth certificates of the applicant(s).
6. Original marriage certificate in the case of spouses.
Notarised affidavit of the de facto union, if applicable.
8. Registered divorce decree, if the marriage has been
dissolved, if applicable.
9. Certificates of Employment or Income, or notarised
financial guarantee from each applicant if applicable.
10. Criminal Record Certificate.
11. Certificate of good physical health, issued by a Public
Health Centre, stating the diagnosis of the state of health
and prognosis of life if you have any health situation
of consideration. (Attach test results: Hematological
Biometry, Elemental Emo, Coproparasitary, Chest
X-ray (only the diagnosis), and other tests that the
doctor considers to be the case.
12. Certificate of Approval of the Applicants’ Training
Circle.
13. Up-to-date photographs of your family and social
environment (partner, biological family, home, living
room, dining room, bedrooms, outside of the house,
pets, etc.).
14. Notarised sworn statement stating that within five days
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after the positive match and the departure of the child
or adolescent with the family, the judicial adoption
application is filed; that they are not immersed in
any legal impediment established in the Childhood
and Adolescence Code; and the commitment of the
applicants to collaborate with the post-adoption
follow-up process for two years after the adoption. (El
Telégrafo, 2019, n. p.)
The 2015 Adoption Management Model of the Ministry
of Economic and Social Inclusion determines as means of
monitoring or verification:
First Meeting with the Family:
It usually takes place during the first month of family
cohabitation, when the family visits the Adoption Technical
Unit in order to present the legal documentation (sentence and
new birth certificate).
Without being a formal interview, we have a piece of
first information on what happened during the first moments
of cohabitation, what has been the initial response of the child
to the impact of a new situation, and the initial response of the
family to the child.
Telephone contact (special cases):
This is carried out by the ATU professional in those
cases which, due to their characteristics, may be susceptible
to additional difficulties, such as children over 6 years of age,
siblings, family history of the child, or family that has doubts
about accepting the child, families with limited personal
resources.
If through the telephone conversation the need is
detected or the family requests, a personal interview will be
arranged.
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Telephone contact or interview at the request of the
family:
It is the family who, during the first periods of
cohabitation, asks for an appointment with the professional to
explain their difficulties or doubts.
The difficulties most frequently reported by the family
are those of a psychosomatic nature (regression in sphincter
control, sleep disturbances, high level of activity) as well as
some related to bonding difficulties (rejection of maternal or
paternal figures) are generally the most visible.
Many of the consultations have more to do with parents’
anxiety about being reassured that they are doing their job well
and, above all, that the reactions of the children or adolescents
are “normal” during this process of adaptation.
From the age of three months onwards, the post-
adoption follow-up process begins.
Home Visit:
It is carried out to observe family interaction in their
usual environment including the relationship with the extended
family.
The Social Worker and/or Psychologist who carry out
these interviews and contacts mentioned above are also the
ones who prepare the post-adoption follow-up reports. Solving
doubts about the difficulties presented by the child (explaining
why they occur).
Guidance to families on the right and appropriate
responses that the family is offering to these difficulties.
Assess the need for specialised counselling and identify
difficulties.
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Post-adoption follow-up interviews:
The purpose of the post-adoption follow-up interviews
is to guide the family through any difficulties that may arise.
Also, if necessary, reading material will be provided so that the
family can have practical guidance throughout their daily lives.
Interview arranged by the family or professional:
When there is any difficulty detected by the professional
during the follow-up visit, the need for a personal interview is
established, outside the scheduled periods for follow-up. In this
interview, it is advisable that both the social worker and the
clinical psychologist talk with the couple or with the adoptive
parent in the case of a single-parent family.
In other cases, it is the family who requests the
interview to discuss a difficulty that has arisen.
Consultations with professionals:
It is carried out at the request of the family or when,
through the post-adoption follow-up process, the professional
observes that the family is inadequately managing the difficulties
or that these difficulties exceed the family’s capacities and
resources, and a worsening of the situation is foreseen.
The psychologist will advise the family on how to deal
with the situation. And when it is considered that the family
requires a permanent and in-depth psychological intervention,
the family will be referred to specialists or on-demand”. (MIES,
2015).
It would seem most appropriate that each of the
requirements be reviewed in detail before choosing a family for
possible adoptees and in this way any profit or benefit would be
avoided on the part of the persons who apply to be candidates for
adoption, for this reason I agree with each of the norms which
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have been set out in this thesis, since children and adolescents
who have been abandoned by multiple causes to their fate, enjoy
the same rights and obligations as all children who are in their
natural family, I therefore agree with each of the norms that
have been set out in this thesis, since children and adolescents
who have been abandoned by multiple causes to their fate,
enjoy the same rights and obligations as all children who are
in their natural family, and for this reason our State, both in
the Constitution, in the Code for Children and Adolescents, and
in the Civil Code, has the aim of protecting children, ensuring
them a family adequate to their basic needs, guaranteeing them
a harmonious life full of affection and understanding.
What would be called empowerment is the moment in
which both the prospective adoptive parents and the prospective
adoptees acquire a relationship in order to check whether
the matching has been adequate, otherwise it is not stated in
this article, but it can be presumed that the matching will be
abandoned if it is observed that this relationship is iniquitous to
the parties because what is required is an atmosphere of harmony
between them, It should be borne in mind that this relationship
does not generate rights or obligations between the adopting
candidates and the possible adoptees, since, as previously
stated, the aim is to establish a harmonious relationship, which
is why both parties are given adequate preparation and in this
way it will be verified whether or not a family can be formed in
accordance with the needs of the child.
11. STEPS TO ADOPT IN ECUADOR
STEP 1:
Make a register of information (online at https://
www.inclusion.gob.ec/ or in person at the Technical Adoption
Units U.T.A.)
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STEP 2:
Schedule an interview at the UTA of the MIES in your
area and attend the day of the appointment for the initial
interview (2 to 3 hours) with the adoption professional, which
can be either with the psychologist or the social worker.
STEP 3:
Accept the registration and attend the first phase of
continuous training, (5 days of training on adoptions), given
by the Adoption Technical Units, or online for the pandemic
theme (duration of 30 days of training via Zoom).
STEP 4:
Submit to the UTA the adoption application with the
requirements that will be given to you at the end of training
phase 1 (completed means of verification, presentation of the
folder).
STEP 5:
Start the home study, where you will participate in
psychological evaluations and home visits by UTA psychologists
and social workers to verify whether you are suitable for
adoption (the family may be sent to therapy if needed, which
can last from 3 to 12 months).
STEP 6:
Obtaining the declaration of suitability (approval
to become an adoptive parent by the UTA, which lasts for
2 years). In case of initial disapproval, you can follow the
recommendations of the UTA.
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STEP 7:
Wait to be matched with children or adolescents,
according to the adopter’s strengths, and make the acceptance
or non-acceptance of the child.
STEP 8:
Participates in the process of attachment and bonding
(knowing and relating) with the child or adolescent to whom
he/she will be assigned.
STEP 9:
File the adoption application with the Judge for Children
and Adolescents of the child’s or adolescent’s domicile.
STEP 10:
Participate in adoption follow-up activities carried out
by MIES such as visits, workshops, meetings, etc. (for at least
2 years).
12. METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK
The methodological framework on which this research
project is based was developed based on bibliographical
references, legal opinions, and a field study on the
Administrative Phase of Adoption in Ecuadorian legislation,
using the Constitution of the Republic of Ecuador and the Code
of Childhood and Adolescence as the main legal basis.
12.1. Research instruments
Survey. - The survey is part of this research, by means
of which a questionnaire of questions will be directly applied
to users who are enrolled in the continuous training course of
the adoption process at the Ministry of Economic and Social
Inclusion (MIES) in the city of Guayaquil, to determine the
result that will be taken into consideration in the research.
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Interview. - The interview involves officials from the
Adoption Department of the Ministry of Economic and Social
Inclusion (MIES) in the city of Guayaquil, by means of which
a questionnaire of questions will be applied directly and thus
determine the results that will be taken into consideration in
the research.
12.2. Research approach
This article required the application of surveys and
interviews, which are based on a questionnaire of questions,
the same that will be correctly formulated, focusing on the
subject, seeking ease of understanding for the development
of respondents and interviewees. The surveys were applied to
users who are enrolled in the continuous training course on
the adoption process at the Ministry of Economic and Social
Inclusion (MIES) in the city of Guayaquil, and the interviews
were applied to officials of the Adoption Department of the
Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES) in the city
of Guayaquil.
CONCLUSIONS
The procedure that is currently carried out before the
Ministry of Economic and Social Inclusion (MIES) and which
is foreseen in the Code for Children and Adolescents, the
adoption process within the administrative phase turns out to
be a bit lengthy.
The administrative phase within the adoption process
that is currently carried out in our legislation, as it is extensive,
prevents adoptions from taking place, as the Code for Children
and Adolescents does not establish deadlines or terms for this
phase to be concluded more quickly, As it is the stage that takes
the longest time, there is no greater speed in it, and as adoptions
do not take place, the rights of children and adolescents are
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being violated, since the tedious process that is carried out
during this stage causes the applicants to desist from it.
It is necessary to establish a legislative reform in the
Code of Childhood and Adolescence, in which exact terms
are established to process this phase and not only remain in
an Adoption Manual, as it is necessary that it is implemented
and legally established so that in this way the constitutional
principles and the rights of children and adolescents are not
violated and so that the dream of the applicants to become
parents and form a family is not dashed and that these minors
do not continue in the process of abandonment in which they
find themselves.
The Ecuadorian State must guarantee the rights that are
recognised in our Magna Carta, as well as their basic guarantees,
especially when it comes to minors, who are protected by the
principle of their best interests, in which campaigns, studies,
and a real reform should be carried out to guarantee the
rights of minors for their full development since they are in a
state of violation because their rights to have a family are not
guaranteed.
The adoption department of the city of Guayaquil, more
staff should be implemented to contribute to the technical team
that is assigned, as in this case there is only one psychologist
when there should be at least three, so that this process can
be more agile, in the same way, in this case, there is only one
social worker, In the same way, in this case, there is only one
social worker, where there should be more staff so that in this
way the work can be shared and all the necessary reports can
be carried out in an adequate time, guaranteeing the rights of
these minors and of the applicants, because although it is true
that the future of this child or adolescent is being decided and
in order to develop a report or an investigation of the applicant,
I believe it is convenient not to overload a single psychologist
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or social worker to carry out this work, because every minute,
every hour counts in the life of these minors.
In the same way, for the Ecuadorian State to become more
involved in the case of adoptions and to carry out campaigns so
that the public in general and not only legal professionals know
how adoption could be carried out, but also with campaigns at
a national level so that people become interested and aware that
an adoption is a form of family reintegration for that child or
adolescent who, for reasons beyond their control, has not had
the possibility of being part of a family, like any other person,
The adoption of a child or adolescent who for reasons beyond
his or her control has not had the possibility of being part of
a family, like any other person, and that the applicant is given
the opportunity to realize the dream that this child still sees
frustrated, not having a mother or father with whom to grow up
and develop into a good person.
REFERENCES
Almeida, M. A. (2016).
Declaratoria de Adoptabilidad y Los
Derechos de los niños.
Quito: Corporación de Estudios y
Publicaciones (CEP).
Asamblea Constituyente del Ecuador. Constitución de la
República del Ecuador. (October 20, 2008). R. O. 449,
October 20, 2008.
Campoverde, N. (2011).
La Adopción en la Legislación
Ecuatoriana.
(Degree work). Universidad de Cuenca,
Cuenca. Retrieved from: http://dspace.ucuenca.edu.
ec/bitstream/123456789/3372/1/TESIS.pdf
Chávez, M. (2010).
La Familia en el Derecho (relaciones Jurídicas
paternas – filiales)
(1st ed.). México: Editorial Porrrúa.
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Congreso Nacional del Ecuador. Código de la Niñez y
Adolescencia. (October 03, 2003). R. O. 737, October
03, 2003.
El Telégrafo. (September 17, 2019). Adopción en Ecuador
comprende seis fases.
El Telégrafo.
Retrieved from:
https://www.eltelegrafo.com.ec/noticias/sociedad/6/
adopcion-ecuador
Espindola, E. (2018).
La adopción de la criatura por nacer en
observancia al principio del interés superior del niño en
la legislación ecuatoriana.
(Degree work). Pontificia
Universidad Católica del Ecuador sede Ambato,
Ambato.
Retrieved from: http://repositorio.pucesa.
edu.ec/bitstream/123456789/2533/1/76810.pdf
Morales, A. (2013).
Lecciones de Derecho de Familia.
Bogotá
D.C., Colombia: Editorial Leyer.
OEA. (1978). Convención Americana sobre Derechos Humanos
(Pacto de San José). Gaceta Oficial No. 9460.
Simon, F. (205). Interés superior del niños: técnicas de
reducción de la dicrecionalidad abusiva. San Salvador,
El Salvador: Consejo Nacional de la Judicatura.
UNHCR.
(1990). Convention on the Rights of the Child
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Resolution 44/25.
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Received:
02/10/2020
Accepted:
29/05/2022
Morelia Cedeño Zambrano:
Student at the Universidad Laica
Vicente Rocafuerte.
Email:
Morelia201078@hotmail.com
City:
Guayaquil
Country:
Ecuador
ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0484-4345
Richard Augusto Proaño Mosquera:
Lecturer at the Universidad
Laica Vicente Rocafuerte.
Email:
rproanom@ulvr.edu.ec
City:
Guayaquil
Country:
Ecuador
ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4323-6606