The foreign Ministry offered to expand the “law of Dima Yakovlev”. How will this affect Russian orphans?
The Deputy Director of the consular Department of the MFA of Russia Ruslan golubovskiy on 27 November said that the “law of Dima Yakovlev” should be extended not only to U.S. citizens but also on citizens in other countries, which violated the rights of Russians. This initiative has not found support in the community. The experts involved in the problem of child abandonment, saying that foreigners and so do not take the education of Russian children. Moreover, in Russia there was the problem of mass return of children from foster families at the orphanage, which is still not seriously engaged. In this regard, observers conclude that the proposal of the foreign Ministry to the care of children has nothing.
The number of foreign adoptive parents dropped tenfold
Russia now has 42 thousand children left without parental care. This is the lowest figure for the entire modern history of the country. In 2015 the number of orphaned children in Russian orphanages has decreased by 46%. In the care of the families are currently 388 thousand Russian children left without parents.
The child from the orphanage you can adopt or take under guardianship. Prospective adoptive parents must undergo special training for this work in profile school. According to the Ministry of education of the Russian Federation in 2018 for education was taken 73 thousand children left without parental care, while in 2012 — 13 thousand children. Total in Russia there are 94 thousand adoptive families. The actual number of adoptions is relatively small, for 2018 4.2 thousand cases.
Znak.com
The number of adoptions by foreigners of Russian children-orphans and children left without parental care, over the last six years has decreased by almost ten times. This is evidenced by statistics of the Ministry of education. In 2012 foreigners adopted Russian child 2604, in 2018 — only 289 children (0.4% of total number taken in Russia on the education of children). 67% of 196 people were taken by adoptive parents from Italy.
Spain last year had 35 cases of adoption of Russian children, France 22, Germany — 7, Israel — 15. Residents of the UK and Canada, by the way, does no longer adopt orphans from Russia. And six years ago the citizens of these countries adopted a Russian child 74. Leaders in the number of adoptions of Russian children in 2012 were Americans — their family then moved to 646 children. For comparison, in 2003, foreigners have families 8.8 thousand Russian children.
“We should proceed from the interests of children”
The former Commissioner for children’s rights in Moscow, Chairman of the education Commission of Moscow city Council Evgenie Bunimovich does not understand what caused the initiative of the Ministry of foreign Affairs. “Like the last time there was a loud stories about the problems of Russian children in foreign families. I don’t think it’s right to impose a ban [which is spoken in the Ministry of foreign Affairs]. We must proceed from the interests of the children, not the ambitions of the country. Ban, of course, easier. However, we need to encourage Russian families to take children on education. Most correct, I believe, should be a national priority for guardianship and adoption within the country. And then, if we cannot find family for the child in Russia, to proceed from its interests”, — said Bunimovich in conversation with the correspondent Znak.com.
About the signs of the political background of the initiative of the foreign Ministry also says the head of the club “the ABC foster family” charity Fund “Arithmetic good” Svetlana Stroganova. “To care for the children, this initiative has no relation. Obviously this is a response to sanctions against Russia. And what is the wording to extend the “law of Dima Yakovlev” in the countries where it has violated the rights of Russians? It would be logical to extend this law in Russia,” she said.
Znak.com
“It is impossible to use children in political games between the countries themselves, says the President of the Fund “Volunteers in aid to children — orphans” Elena Alshanskaya. — Policy on protection of the rights of children and the family unit is undoubtedly in need of serious systemic change in our country. But to change the laws in this area should be people who understand the issue, together with experts in the field of child protection by developing a shared systemic vision for change.” According to Olshanskoe now initiative “sporadically and accidentally” put forward people who “do not understand anything about what the children have lost family, do not know anything about the family unit and the problems of this sector, do not have in its mandate the regulation of social policy in the country.” “They will use them as a card in their disputes. It is dishonorable”, — view al’šanskaâ.
“The problem — the failures of foster children”
The Chairman of the Union of foster parents Natalia Gorodiskaâ, commenting on the initiative of the foreign Ministry, asked the question: “We who want to do harm to these countries or yourself? These countries and without our children will live”. According to her, the Russian authorities should think about other, more serious problem.
“The trend that we are seriously scary, is the growing number of returns from families of children left without the care of the biological parents. For 2018 was returned to 5 million of these children (in previous years the number ranged between 3 and 4 thousand approx. ed.). The reasons are different — people do not cope with them, there is no understanding. Foster parents do not want to solve these problems in the social services, not willing to admit their own incompetence and simply in the custody declare that they abandon the child,” explained horodys’ka.
After the adoption of the “Dima Yakovlev law”, she added, adoption and guardianship of children was popularized. In this area there was a real “blast,” recalls horodys’ka. “People were invited to the children’s home the bride. And then many began to take other people’s children in foster care. But the children began to place the unprepared family school of adoptive parents appeared only after 2013. Now those children are grown up and the adults with them do not. And we see a wave of failures. According to forecasts, this trend will only increase,” — said horodys’ka.
Znak.com
Another problem is the increase in the number of cases of abuse of adopted children. In 2016, the criminal liability for illegal actions against children were involved in 30 guardians and Trustees, in 2017 — 21. In 2018 this indicator has grown almost twice — with 40 criminal cases, according to the interior Ministry.
The “law of Dima Yakovlev” — seven years
Vladimir Putin signed the “Dima Yakovlev law”, which is popularly called “the law of scoundrels”, 28 December 2012. The document is named for the two-year boy from Russia, who was killed in 2008 in the US after the adoptive father left him all day in the car in the sun. It is believed that the “law of Dima Yakovlev” became the answer on accepted in the United States “Magnitsky act”.
The law implies not only a ban on adoptions of Russian children by US citizens, but still imposing visa sanctions and prohibits the employment in Russia from the US-funded political NGOs and non-profit organizations whose activities pose a threat to the interests of the Russian Federation.
In January 2017, the European court of human rights declared illegal the ban on adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens, stipulated in the “law of Dima Yakovlev”.
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