Adoption of Children Act

This Act may be cited as the Adoption of Children Act.

This Act shall not apply to any person who professes the Islamic religion either so as to permit the adoption of any child by such a person or so as to permit the adoption by any person of a child who according to the law of the Islamic religion is a Muslim.

In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —

“adopted child” means a child who has been authorised by the

Court to be adopted or to be re-adopted;

“adopter” means a person authorised by an adoption order to adopt a child;

“adoption order” means an order made under section 4 authorising a person to adopt a child;

“child” means an unmarried person who has not attained the age of 18 years;

“Court” means the High Court or any judge thereof;

Adoption of Children 4

“father”, in relation to an illegitimate child, means the natural father;

“spouse”, in relation to a woman, means her husband and, in relation to a man, means his wife.