The first three things that pop into my head when I hear “The Hague” are (1) Powdered Wigs, (2) Amal Clooney, and (3) Joseph Kony. In an effort to decrease the number of people like me with a minimal understanding of what the Hague actually is, here are a few things to know about the Hague, and specifically its role in adoption policy.
- The Hague is a city in South Holland.
The Hague is the capital of the province of South Holland is located on the North Sea cost of the Netherlands. The Hague is the seat of the Dutch Government, Parliament, and Supreme Court. Roughly half a million people call this city home.
- The Hague is home to both the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice.
It isn’t totally off base to think of Amal Clooney and Joseph Kony. Amal Clooney, who is a well known and respected International Human Rights Lawyer, has tried many cases in the International Criminal Court and has recently been liked to representing Yazidi slaves and demands to investigate ISIS genocides at The Hague. As for Joseph Kony, an arrest warrant from the International Criminal Court was issued on July 8, 2005, but he is still at large. You can read all about the charges against him here https://www.icc-cpi.int/uganda/kony.
- The Hague Adoption Convention is a set of standard principles to be practiced in intercountry adoptions.
The United States, along with 95 other countries have ratified the Convention. The Hague Convention ensures that these countries are considering the best interest of the child throughout adoption proceedings. The Hague Convention webpage states the convention was put into place to “ protect children and their families against the risks of illegal, irregular, premature or ill-prepared adoptions abroad.” The HAC along with the Convention on the Rights of the Child help to standardize adoption and childcare among the countries who participate.
___
Article by Haley Horn.
Photo credit to Berit Wallenber via Flickr kmb.raa.se/cocoon/bild/show-image.html?id=16001000098466.
