Justice Minister Siromi Turaga has told families waiting to adopt in Fiji that the long-delayed adoption system will be regularised by June 2026, after what he described as final legal sign-offs on the new framework. Turaga said the Adoption Bill, which Parliament approved in 2020 but was never put into effect by the previous administration, has now been signed off by the Chief Justice and is being processed into a formal legal copy for implementation.
“The adoption timeline should be regularised by June,” Turaga said, confirming that the document had been returned to the secretary general and would be printed on legal paper before being re-issued as the operative legal framework. He said his office had engaged in discussions and follow-through to move the stalled law from passage to practical use after years of inaction under the prior government.
Turaga warned that the number of recorded backlogs may at first increase once the new system is activated. He explained this would reflect a transitional surge as cases that have accumulated during the informal or stalled period are formally lodged and processed under the new regime. The minister framed the temporary rise in numbers as a necessary step toward clearing long-standing delays and bringing the process into an orderly, transparent footing.
For many families, the delay in operationalising the 2020 Bill has meant prolonged uncertainty and, in some cases, multi-year waits to finalise adoptions. Turaga said regularising the process was essential not only to reduce administrative limbo but also to protect children’s rights and provide the certainty of stable homes. “This is about protecting the rights of children and supporting families,” he said, stressing the social as well as legal importance of completing the implementation.
The move brings to a head a gap between legislation and practice that has affected prospective adoptive parents and children alike. While Parliament approved the Adoption Bill six years ago, the absence of the necessary accompanying legal instruments and administrative enactment prevented the law from being used. Turaga’s announcement signals the government’s intent to complete those steps imminently and to begin processing adoptions under the updated legal framework.
Officials have not yet published a detailed timetable for rollout beyond Turaga’s June target, nor have they released figures on the current backlog or projections of how long it will take to clear outstanding cases. For now, Turaga’s assurances provide the first definitive timetable many families have been seeking, and set expectations that the system change may initially reveal more cases before the process returns to a steady, regulated pace.
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