187.6 adequate steps be taken by Government or other public bodies to promote the development of adoption counseling and post-adoption services or measures; 187.7 provision should be made in the Adoption Bill for a social worker or, in the case of adoptees living outside Sierra Leone, the Sierra Leone Embassy, to monitor adoptees to ensure that their welfare is being catered for; 187.8 the persons whose consent is necessary for any adoption are sufficiently counseled and informed of the effect of their consent and in particular that the adoption will result in the termination of any legal relationship between them or their relatives as applicable and the children; 187.9 all adoptions are to be done in the best interest of the children; 187.10 penalties for contravention of a provision of the Bill be strengthened to serve as a deterrent; 187.11 in the event that placement agreement provided for in the Bill is entered into with Sierra Leoneans not habitually resident in Sierra Leone, provision should be made for the supervision of the placement of the child involved in the applicant’s country; 187.12 procedures be developed for the preparation of a report on the adopted child to establish his/her adoptability and also the background, social environment, family history, medical history and any special needs of the child prior to the application for the adoption of the child; and 187.13 a central authority (or regulatory or supervisory body) be established in accordance with Part IV of the Hague Convention of 1993. 6.3 Protection against abuse, neglect and exploitation (articles 16 and 27) 188. Article 16 of the ACRWC requires the State to take specific legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect children from all forms of torture, inhuman or degrading treatment, especially physical or mental injury or abuse, neglect, maltreatment while in the care of an adult. It further requires that such measures include the establishment of special monitoring units to provide the necessary support to the child and caregivers, as well as other forms of prevention and identification, reporting and referral, treatment and follow-up of instances of child abuse and neglect. 189. Article 27 requires further that specific measures be taken to protect children from all forms of sexual exploitation and abuse, including the inducement, coercion or encouragement of a child to engage in sexual activity, the use of children in transactional sex, including prostitution and the use of children in pornography. 190. The current child protection system has evolved over time, shaped by Sierra Leone’s history. The decade-long civil war saw multiple infringements of the protection rights of thousands of children. An estimated 10,000 children were directly affected 6. Family Environment and Alternative Care  53