is permissible in view of the child's status concerning parents, relatives and legal guardians and that, if required, the persons concerned have given their informed consent to the adoption on the basis of such counselling as may be necessary;
(b) Recognize that inter-country adoption may be considered as an alternative means of child's care, if the child cannot be placed in a foster or an adoptive family or cannot in any suitable manner be cared for in the child's country of origin;
(c) Ensure that the child concerned by inter-country adoption enjoys safeguards and standards equivalent to those existing in the case of national adoption;
(d) Take all appropriate measures to ensure that, in inter-country adoption, the placement does not result in improper financial gain for those involved in it;
(e) Promote, where appropriate, the objectives of the present article by concluding bilateral or multilateral arrangements or agreements, and endeavour, within this framework, to ensure that the placement of the child in another country is carried out by competent authorities or organs.
THE CHILD HAS THE RIGHT NOT TO BE SEPARATED FROM HIS OR HER PARENTS
Hans Christian Andersen. Thumbelina
A woman didn't have any children. One day an enchantress gave her a little seed, and a beautiful flower grew from it. And in the flower there was a little girl. The woman was very glad. She took the child and called her Thumbelina, because the girl was one thumb high. The woman took care of her little daughter; she made a bed for her from a nutshell, a mattress from violets and a blanket from a big green leaf.
One night a big green toad jumped up on the window still where Thumbelina slept. She saw the girl and admired her. 'Such a wife is absolutely necessary for my son' – the toad thought. She snatched Thumbelina from her bed and carried her to the swamp. No matter how the little girl cried and asked to bring her back home, the toad didn't even listen.
The little fishes heard Thumbelina crying and felt sorry for her. They bit through the stalk of the water-lily's leaf, where Thumbelina sat. The stalk went with the stream very fast, and the toad couldn't catch up with it.
Many troubles, hardships and losses fell on Thumbelina. But the little girl always remembered her mother and desperately wanted to come back to her.
A kind swallow brought the girl to the warm lands of the elves. Thumbelina found friends among them and took little wings as a present. Now she was able to find her family.
Article 10. In accordance with the obligation of States Parties under article 9, paragraph 1, applications by a child or his or her parents to enter or leave a State Party for the purpose of family reunification shall be dealt with by States Parties in a positive, humane and expeditious manner. States Parties shall further ensure that the submission of such a request shall entail no adverse consequences for the applicants and for the members of their family.
A child whose parents reside in different States shall have the right to maintain on a regular basis, save in exceptional circumstances personal relations and direct contacts with both parents. Towards that end and in accordance with the obligation of States Parties under article 9, paragraph 1, States Parties shall respect the right of the child and his or her parents to leave any country, including their own, and to enter their own country. The right to leave any country shall be subject only to such restrictions as are prescribed by law and which are necessary to protect the national security, public order (ordre public), public health or morals or the rights and freedoms of others and are consistent with the other rights recognized in the present Convention.
Article 11. States Parties shall take measures to combat the illicit transfer and non-return of children abroad.
To this end, States Parties shall promote the conclusion of bilateral or multilateral agreements or accession to existing agreements.
THE SEPARATION OF A CHILD FROM HIS OR HER PARENTS OR A COMMUNICATION BARRIER BETWEEN THEM IS ILLEGAL
Hans Christian Andersen. The Snow Queen
There were a girl and a boy in one of the Dutch towns, and they loved each other like brother and sister. The boy's name was Kai, the girl's name was Gerda. Their houses were close to each other. The children visited each other, played together and were inseparable. During the winter they liked to go out into the street and play snowballs, build ice castles, slide and ice-run together with other children.
One winter day they were running in the street and saw a sparkling sledge. A glaringly beautiful woman was sitting in it. It was the Snow Queen. The sledge passed by very close and Kai caught a glance of the woman. Her glance made the boy chill. All evening long he kept recollecting this encounter and this glance. On his way to bed he looked through the window. It was snowing and big snowflakes were spinning nearby the glass. It seemed to the boy that he could see the face of the Snow Queen through the snowstorm. He opened the window and one of the snowflakes got into his eye. But it was not a simple snowflake, but a piece of the Snow Queen's magic mirror. It penetrated into the boy's hot heart and turned it into a piece of ice.
The next day during the walk Kai saw the sparkling sledge again. The Snow Queen seated the boy next to her, kissed him on the forehead and Kai forgot all his relatives. The Snow Queen embraced the boy and took him to the far ice land. He forgot all his relatives and his country. But Gerda didn't forget Kai. She set out in search of her named brother. She asked all the passers-by and even the flowers in the forest. But no one knew where Kai was. She had to pass a very long way before she eventually reached the land of the Snow Queen. Kai was sitting on the floor in the palace and was as cold as a piece of ice. She saw what had happened and burst into tears. Her hot tears melted the ice in Kai's heart. He flung himself into Gerda's arms and they returned to their hometown together.
Article 12. States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child. For this purpose, the child shall in particular be provided the opportunity to be heard in any judicial and administrative proceedings affecting the child, either directly, or through a representative or an appropriate body, in a manner consistent with the procedural rules of national law.
Article 13. The child shall have the right to freedom of expression; this right shall include freedom to seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds, regardless of frontiers, either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of the child's choice. The exercise of this right may be subject to certain restrictions, but these shall only be such as are provided by law and are necessary:
(a) For respect of the rights or reputations of others; or
(b) For the protection of national security or of public order (ordre public), or of public health or morals.
THE CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO EXPRESS HIS OR HER VIEWS
Hans Christian Andersen. The Emperor's New Clothes
Once upon a time there was an emperor, who liked new clothes very much. He had a new dress every two days. The emperor dreamt of sewing a dress that would fit like a glove so that nobody would have the same dress.
One
