Madonna's lawyer confirmed Friday the pop star is appealing a court ruling that denied her application to adopt a second child from Malawi.
The court said the 50-year-old recently divorced international pop star didn't meet the country's residency requirements.
Madonna's lawyer Alan Chinula confirmed Friday Madonna has "filed notice for appeal in the Supreme Court of Appeal," but that no date was immediately set.
Madonna was successful in her bid to adopt a Malawian boy last year, despite a law which bars foreigners from coming to the African country to adopt without living there first.
Under the rules, prospective parents must live in Malawi for between 18 and 24 months in order to adopt.
Malcolm Mumba, a Malawian children's rights advocate with Plan International, said there is a longstanding debate in his country about whether foreigners should be allowed to adopt.
The concern is twofold, he told Â鶹´«Ã½net.
"One, it may possibly encourage some poor families to abandon their responsibilities and obligations that they have in terms of raising the children," Mumba said.
"Second...the families could as well be exploited, once they have been blessed with children."
In addition, he said, there is no proper mechanism in place to follow up and ensure that children adopted to other countries are properly cared for.
Mumba said Plan International opposed Madonna's first adoption.
"As a country we need to engage in a national dialogue to see what safeguards are we going to put in place for proper protective mechanisms for the children," he said.
Mumba said his country would like to strengthen its own social services for children, so that orphans in the country "are able to grow up in an environment that is supportive and at the same time will lead to their full development."
