ICAV is deeply honoured to share this practical guide, developed through the generous pro bono support of the International Law Clinic of Panthéon-Assas in France.
The project began through the initiative of Professor Olivier de Frouville, former Chair and Vice Chair of the United Nations Committee on Enforced Disappearances, Co-Director of the Assas International Law Clinic, and Director of the Paris Human Rights Center / CRDH. He recognised the need for adoptees, advocates and civil society organisations to better understand how the United Nations human rights system can be used to address illicit and illegal intercountry adoption practices.
Under the supervision of Professor Olivier de Frouville and Professor Julia Grignon, a dedicated team from the International Law Clinic researched and prepared the guide’s legal content. Their work explains the structure of the United Nations human rights system, the rights and treaty mechanisms that may be relevant to illegal intercountry adoption, the application of transitional justice, and the practical pathways available to NGOs through ECOSOC, the Human Rights Council, Special Procedures and UN treaty bodies.
The guide was then developed into an accessible community resource through ICAV’s editorial design, visual communication and publication development. This included restructuring some of the material, improving the document flow and contents, and developing visual summaries as slides below to make complex legal and institutional information easier to understand and use.
It is difficult to fully express what this contribution means to me personally and to our global intercountry adoptee community. Access to international legal knowledge and UN processes is often limited by complexity, cost and institutional barriers. By offering their expertise freely, this team has created a practical tool that strengthens the ability of adoptees, NGOs and advocates to seek truth, accountability, reparations and meaningful systemic reform.
We extend our sincere gratitude to everyone at the International Law Clinic of Panthéon-Assas who contributed their time, expertise and commitment to making this resource possible via their generosity, expertise and allyship.
Huge thanks to the legal students Marie-Lys Levaux, Maguy Lawson, Jade Rubio; supervised by doctoral researchers Olivier Pedeboy & Marie-Lee Lurel; initiated and guided by Professor Olivier de Frouville & Professor Julia Grignon!
Access the Guide by clicking on the image below: “What’s in this document?”
From this resource, I have created some summary slides on the relevant rights of each of the UN Conventions that apply to intercountry adoptees with illicit, illegal, and human rights abusive adoptions.
Some slides on Transitional Justice and how it applies to our adoptions.
Some slides on Retributive Justice and how it applies to our adoptions.
And some slides on Restorative Justice and how it applies to our adoptions.
Other Relevant Resources
In November 2025, Professor Olivier Frouville presented his keynote session: Obligations of States to prosecute illegal adoptions as crimes against humanity and/or enforced disappearances under international law (2025 Working Paper)
In May 2026, both Professor Olivier Frouville and Ann Skelton (former Chairperson of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child – UNCRC) presented the first 20 minutes of this webinar, providing adoptees excellent information on how we can utilise UN mechanisms for seeking truth, justice and reparation.
Watch the webinar here: