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Now, she can go on adoption leave
WHEN WOMEN are entitled to maternity leave, why don't they get exempted also when they legally adopt a child? In answer to that, Mahila Samakhya, one of the largest integrated women empowerment programme in UP, has come up with an amendment in their departmental leave rules allowing female employees to take leave on adoption of a child.
WHEN WOMEN are entitled to maternity leave, why don't they get exempted also when they legally adopt a child?
In answer to that, Mahila Samakhya, one of the largest integrated women empowerment programme in UP, has come up with an amendment in their departmental leave rules allowing female employees to take leave on adoption of a child. According to the amendment, a female employee of Mahila Samakhya with less than two surviving children, may be granted leave (similar to maternity in terms of pay and medical due and balance without production of medical certificate, if required) if she adopted a child till such time the latter turned three years of age. As per the new arrangement, the employee would get 135 days of leave with which earned leave of 30 days and medical leave of 15 days can be clubbed. State project director of the outfit Rashmi Sinha said this amendment had been passed in the 33rd Executive Committee meeting of the UP Mahila Samakhya Society chaired by Secretary, State Basic Education Department, JS Deepak.
The UN Convention on Rights of the Child 1989 on Adoption says, “Every child is entitled to a loving and caring atmosphere. Orphan children need constant presence of the parent to acclimatise with the new family environment.
Sometimes, such kids are confused about parental love. Parents too need to prepare themselves mentally.”
Sadly, there has been no provision of leave for women adopting children in Government or any other department. Government of India allows an employee to take earned leave if she is adopting a child but there is no provision of a separate leave for the purpose. But there are private institutions like TISCON, BIOCON, TCS and Sardar Patel Vidyalaya, New Delhi who have leave provision on legal adoption of a child, added Sinha.
The law of maternity leave (90 days plus 15 days medical leave and 30 days of earned leave, if required) was parent-oriented and gave an opportunity to the mother to become physically fit again, she said, adding leave for adoption had been designed keeping in the view of a child's need. Mahila Samakhya would not advocate this provision to the State Government to adopt it as a State Policy to benefit women, she added.
Secretary, Women and Child Development (WCD), Balwant Kumar, said this was a novel idea to give a boost to the State's adoption policy. “We will ask Mahila Samakhya to send the particular amendment to the Departments of Personnel and Finance for analysis. WCD is planning to open up more adoption centres with the collaboration of NGOs and this idea of leave for adoption can work as an encouraging factor in increasing the number of adoption,” he said.
