The 1 June, on the International Children´s Day many actions for protection children’s rights, life and health were held in the Russian Federation. Children’s theme is utterly important today in the Russian Federation. The regional organization “Right of Child” reports about horrific situation in this sphere, about family crisis and an evident lack of government’s attention to its young citizens. (10-JUN-06)
Text: HRH/ Moscow, Yanina Savenko. Sources: www.svobodanews.ru, www.hro.org, www.asi.org.ru, www.pravoslavie.ru/news, www.ami-tass.ru, www.greenpeace.org/russia/ru. Photos: www.allrussia.ru, www.newsarmenia.ru.
Here are only some of the figures. Every year there are 1 million of children 
less, 130 thousand new orphans are discovered and what is more, a half of this number are children of parents, deprived of their rights. In 2005 800 thousand orphans were registered – it’s more than in the first years after the Second World War. 30% of children live in special child institutions. Every year about 2 million children under 14 years are subjected to beatings in family. Almost 3 thousand children and teenagers aged from 5 to 19 years commit suicide. A sharp decrease of the age of narcotic and alcoholic dependence is alarming. For some children this age begins under 10 years. About 40% of school children regularly take alcoholic drinks. 70 % of 3 million Russian drug addicts are children and young people.
the Russian Federation doesn’t obey regulations of the U.N.O. Convention on the Rights of the Child
– The state management in the childhood’s sphere doesn’t correspond to obligations of the Russian Federation adopted in compliance with the U.N.O. Convention on the Rights of the Child, – said Ombudsman for Human Rights in the Russian Federation Vladimir Lukin at the press-conference dedicated to the International Children’s Day. According to Vladimir Lukin, rights of disabled children have been violated, a problem of HIV infected children’s accommodation in families hasn’t been solved, infant mortality is 1.5 or even 2 times higher in the Russian Federation than in developed countries. A number of healthy children is decreasing annually. Only 30% of children are considered healthy and another 70% have functional problems, and at the same time 16% of them suffer from chronic deceases. Almost 30 thousand disabled children couldn’t enter kindergartens and schools, number of which has been rapidly decreasing, and as a result, they are put into closed social welfare institutions, where they are deprived of the opportunity to get proper upbringing and education. For example, in the Sretenskaya closed school, more than half of teenagers, following a correction program, couldn’t get education in proper time, some of them for the first time went to school at the age of 13, – the Chitinsky Human Rights Center reported.
Brutal treatment of orphans
Legal regulations concerning accommodation of orphans leaving orphanages aren’t 
observed almost everywhere. As a result, children of the full legal age have no place to live. In spite of efforts made by the Office of Public Prosecutor during the last two years, in a big number of orphan’s institutions rights of children are seriously violated, besides, cases of violence and brutal treatment are not rare there. At present an employee of the correction children’s house ¹3 for mentally retarded orphans in Nijnyi Tagil is being prosecuted. The teacher was accused under the Articles “Non-execution of duties of educating minors” and “Brutal treatment”. According to the investigation, teachers and representatives of the orphanage’s administration used anti-pedagogical measures. They deprived children of food, sleep and recreation as punishment….
Children disappear in the Chechen Republic
Many children found themselves in severe conditions in the zone of armed conflict in the Chechen Republic. Children are blown up on mines dispersed everywhere in the republic, they huddle in temporary camps for refugees and they often disappear near dispositions of armed forces units… For the last 15 years representatives of Russian defense and law enforcement agencies repeatedly denied their connection to bombardments of settlements in the Chechen Republic, insisting that “Chechens blow up themselves”. Murders of peaceful Chechens, including children, usually aren’t investigated by the Office of Public Prosecutor and offenders are not punished.
The Orthodox church is against abortions
The 1 June representatives of the Russian Orthodox organizations held an action in one of the churchs in the capital, in memory of children killed by abortions. According to organizers of the action, 5 thousand abortions are done every day in the Russian Federation. In memory of these perished children participants of the action lighted 5 thousand candles. At the same time communists and members of the movement “For Protection of Childhood” organized pickets near four Ministers concerning youth – the Ministries of Public Health and Social Development, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Culture and the Federal Education Agency.
No to GMO in baby food!
Greenpeace activists also held an action near the Ministry of Public Health and Social Development. Eight expectant mothers unfolded a poster with a slogan “No to GMO in baby food!” written on both Russian and English languages. Two blindfolded participants of the action were holding trays with baby food as a symbol that mothers in our country don’t know with what food they feed their children. The activists sent letters with appeals to Minister of Public health Zurabov with demands to forbid using genetically modified organisms (GMO) in baby food.
Babies need diapers!
The 1 June organizers of the action “Dry Bottom” delivered a statement with 1425 signatures to Minister of Public Health Mikhail Zurabov, calling him to allocate funds for diapers for babies in children’s houses. Today the 
government gives no money for diapers. The organizers of the action – members of charitable non-commercial organizations “Children’s Hearts”, “Here and Now”, “Mary’s Children” and “Creation” – are convinced of necessity to insert funds for diapers in the state budget. Members of these organizations conducted the monitoring of orphanages in the country and reported terrific facts. Gauze bandages ruined in the wash were changed two times a week. Some bottoms already didn’t have skin. The first national action “Dry Bottom” was held a year ago. 1,5 thousand packings of diapers were collected and 400 activists signed the appeal to the State Duma. However, deputies haven’t answered the letter.
