The number of homeless children and orphans in the Russian Federation reached 700 thousand by the end of 2002 (according to Russian Children’s Fund). This number is comparable to the number of orphans following the Second World War. (11-JUNE-05)

Vladimir Lukin, as ombudsman for human rights of the Russian Federation, in his annual report on Children’s Rights Day, said that a crisis has struck both family and child, in the Russian Federation. The demographic situation threatens all perspectives of the country’s development. Every year the child population falls by 1 million. The number of healthy children has fallen. Only 32% of the children are healthy, 52% have some type of health deficiency, 16% have chronic diseases.

The work of Russian orphanages is not satisfactory. According to Russia’s General Prosecutor, 40% of orphans become alcoholics and drug edicts, 40% become criminals, 10% commit suicide and only 10% adapt to a normal life.

According to Vladimir Lukin, the rights of handicapped children are infringed everyday. Compounding the problem is that the issue of adopting HIV infected children has not been resolved. The number of special kindergartens and schools is not satisfactory, this is why 30 thousand handicapped children have no possibility to go to school. They are kept in the social welfare system, where they have no possibility to receive a worthy education.

A federal law for the monetization of social benefits liquidated the federal legal jurisdiction for the defence of children’s rights. Because of this, government standards and minimal payments are absent.

Vladimir Lukin thinks that the governmental administration in the field of children’s problems doesn’t correspond to the obligations of the Russian Federation that were accepted in accordance with the UN Convention for children’s Rights.

Source: http://www.hro.org/editions/ombudsman/2005/05/31.php; http://www.hro.org/editions/child/2005/06/01.php

Photo: www.hro.org