The Committee noted that the laws governing adoption, according to the State Report,
are laid out in the Adoption of Children Act, the Adoption of Children Decree, and the
Adoption Rules and Regulations. Tanzanian laws do not yet allow inter-country adoption
and Tanzania is not a party to the Convention on Protection of Children and Cooperation in Respect of Inter-Country Adoption. There is no indication that there has
been any progress in the ratification of this particular international instrument.
Furthermore, the State Report provides information on the governing bodies for the
rules of adoption, and includes the recommendation of the Law Reform Committee
(LRC) that pre-adoption of residence for non-citizen’s be raised from three months to 2
years of residency, to enable a proper check on the backgrounds of prospective
adoptive parents. It is hoped that the LRC findings would be implemented in line with
international adoption principles as contained under Article 24 of the ACRWC. The
Committee also recommend that efforts be made to ensure ratification of the Hague
Convention, in line with best practices on adoption matters.
Laws against trafficking in children
According to the State Report, A National Plan of Action for the Prevention and
Eradication of Violence Against Women has been developed, along with a community
justice facilitation programme which functions as a community-based intervention
strategy to address violence against children.
However, The Committee observed that there is a lack of commitment on the part of the
State Party to honour its international obligations under the ACRWC on the specific
aspect of child trafficking, especially there being a lack of specific laws and/or
programmes aimed at combating this menace in a clear and sustained manner. It is
observed that the absence of a definite regulatory framework is a significant contributory
cause of the growing incidence, and the abuse and exploitation that children suffer as a
consequence. The Committee also notes that since the adoption of the Child
3