Justice minister, moratorium on int'l adoptions

Moroccan Justice Minister Mustafa Ramid has issued a moratorium on international adoptions of Moroccan children, Afriquinfos.com reported on Monday. The minister based his decision on concerns that children adopted abroad won't be brought up to respect culture, tradition and religion, the news site said. The moratorium affects 44 Spanish families who are currently in the process of adopting children from the Laila Meryam orphanage in Rabat. These families, who have already formed ties with the children whom they visit regularly in the orphanage, have appealed to the Moroccan justice ministry and to the Spanish foreign ministry to let their adoptions to go through.