Madonna child - court steps in
2006-10-17 18:40
Blantyre - A Malawian court agreed on Tuesday to hear arguments by a coalition of local rights groups seeking to block "Queen of Pop" Madonna's fast-track adoption of a 13-month boy from the poor African country.
Justin Dzodzi, chairperson of the Human Rights Consultative Committee, said: "The court wants to hear our locus standi and why we should be appointed guardians of the child (David Banda) and act in his interest."
The committee, grouping 67 rights groups, petitioned the high court in the administrative capital Lilongwe, seeking to have its "concerns" heard.
Dzodzi said the group had investigated and established "enough reasons to fight for safeguards in the interim order to ensure that the child is protected as Madonna has no parental rights".
He said David's father, a 32-year-old illiterate poor farmer, and his relatives believed that the boy had been taken for "custody and not adoption".
'Authorities breached regulations'
"We want Madonna to stay here for 18 months and acquire residency as stipulated in the country's adoption laws... The court cannot revoke the order if she stays in Los Angeles with the baby," said Dzodzi.
The group's lawyers are likely to argue in the hearing on Friday that Malawian authorities had breached their own regulations by allowing the little boy to leave the country and link up with the Britain- and US-based Madonna in London.
Madonna was granted an interim order to adopt the child by the high court last Thursday after spending a week in the southeast African country to assess Aids projects she had funded.
Under Malawian law, expatriates adopting a child usually have to live in the country for 18 months and are monitored by social workers before they get full adoption rights.