Note in publication at the web-site (July 2013):
- Tambov region: After 2 years ROC’s struggle for the Irina Vasil’eva’s many children family Tambov Region granted her 750 000 rubles for purchasing new home where they live happily now already for 5 years.
- Moscow region: This letter resulted in a half a year (January-June 2007) check up by the General Prosecution Office of the children’s hospitals and baby homes of the Moscow Region, thus the number of babies living in hospitals went down drastically. And also the Agreement was concluded in February 2007 between Ministry of Health Care of the Moscow Region and NGO “Volunteers – to Assist the Orphaned Children” chaired by Elena Alshanskaya on the regular visiting by volunteers inmates in hospitals and baby homes – and this Agreement is valid until now which essentially improved the situation.
Boris Altshuler
25.12.2006
To: Vladimir Putin,
President of the Russian Federation.
Copy to:
Yuri Chaika,
General Procurator of Russian Federation.
Georgyi Poltavchenko,
Plenipotentiary Representative of President of Russia in the Central Federal District.
Esteemed Vladimir Vladimirovich!
Summarizing the results of the year 2006 we feel our debt to draw attention to the most serious events which “Right of the Child” NGO was involved in during last months. These events also show how conservative is the existing system incapable to conceive so far the new positive directives in the family and childhood politics in Russia:
Tver Region: In Staritskyi District there was liquidated the children’s health-improving camp “Chukavino” which could house one thousand children at a time and where orphaned children also received recreation. At the huge territory of this camp and in its buildings is organized now the hunt husbandry of the Governor of Tverskoi Region Dmitryi Zelenin. The hunting dogs are raised there which hardly may improve the catastrophic demographic situation in Russia.
Tambov Region: In the town of Michurinsk single mother Irina Vasil’eva and her five children (3, 7, 8, 10, 15 years old) were deprived of the dwelling registration and now belong “nowhere”. Irina’s stepfather, who is owner of the apartment, deprived them the registration after Irina’s mother death in 2005 – in accordance to the Law from 30.12.2004 # 213-FZ which already had thrown out to streets thousands of Russian children. Being deprived of the dwelling registration Irina’s children where deprived in April 2006 of all payments and benefits supposed for many-children poor families. This is a very good family which also gave a shelter during more than a year to the 10-years old son of the neighbor woman lost in drinking. They all live in the temporary dwelling of little avail for life. At the General Meeting of the Public Chamber of Russian Federation on 22.12.2006 the Appeal was adopted to the Governor of Tambov Region Oleg Betin with a request to find a remedy to the situation. Previous Irina Vasil’eva’s Appeals to the Governor were not heard at all. Perhaps now this “hopeless” situation will be resolved.
This case however is a typical one. It shows on necessity: (1) To call off the notorious Law which permit to deprive children of dwelling. (2) To establish Federal Social Dwelling Foundation which will provide dwelling for those families in need (with 3 or more children, with disabled children and also to orphaned children) who will never be capable to become a purchaser at the market of residential housing. (3) To create in all regions of Russia the system of social accompanying of families in need (there are excellent local examples of organization of such a work but because it is not regulated properly by federal laws and rules the best practices experience is not distributed and practically everywhere the system is working as always: it multiply orphanhood and pack orphans into institutions).
Moscow Region: Approximately 500 unrecorded abandoned kids from 0 to 3-4 years old are permanently living in hospitals of the Moscow Region (situation is typical for many Russian regions). Women-volunteers who help these children appealed in November 2006 to the Governor of Moscow Region Boris Gromov. This Appeal was supported by “Right of the Child” and it was heard: additional finance were allocated to some hospitals, also Governor took a Decision to open the special Baby Home for AIDS-infected children. At the same time some mothers-volunteers are now refused under different pretexts to visit children in hospitals, i.e. system tries “to close” itself as a reaction to criticism. Also responsible authorities move kids from hospitals to overpacked baby homes and some kids are returned to their asocial parents where their life is endangered.
Unfortunately no system measures to heal the situation are taken so far. Those measures could be: elaboration and realization of State regional programs of development of family placement of orphaned children, of search, teaching and psychological-medical-social accompaniment of substitute parents. The number of children living in institutions does not decrease in the Moscow Region, in the City of Moscow, in Smolensk Region etc. In Russia where children population go down one million per year the hospitals and baby homes are packed with babies who are practically hidden from citizens, from potential adopters in particular. Existing system makes these kids a “classified objects”. This situation must be immediately changed. It is also very important to create the mechanisms of participation of Civil Society participation in the fate of children living in hospitals and children’s institutions. The work of institutions itself must be rebuild. There are excellent examples of reforming of work of Orphanage into the Family Placement and Family Accompanying Service – like Orphanage # 19 of Moscow or Preschool special (corrective) Orphanage in Smolensk. However this good experience is not distributed properly so far.
Also in all regions of Russia the vast violations of rights of children living in institutions are continued. General Prosecution Office, NGOs, Ombudsman for Human Rights regularly report about all it, however information which they possess – it is only a tip of iceberg because life in these institutions is essentially closed. In this connection it is vitally necessary to strengthen the supervision by prosecutors and to create the all-Russia system of Public Control of institutions of social sphere. The successful experience of organization of Public Control of children’s institutions exists in a number of Russian regions, now there is a task to systematize and to distribute this experience all over Russia.
Boris Altshuler
Head of the “Right of the Child” NGO.
Svetlana Pronina,
Head of the “Child’s Right for the Family” Program of the “Right of the Child” NGO.
Experts of Commission on Questions of Social Development of the Public Chamber of Russia, Members of the Children’s Rights Section of Expert Council under Ombudsman for Human Rights of Russia, Members of the Coordinating Council of the All-Russian Union “Civil Society – for Children of Russia”.
11, Novyi Arbat st., of. 19-18, 19-20, Moscow, 119019, Russian Federation
(7-495) 291-5872/3241/9176
right-child@mtu-net.ru
http://pravorebenka.narod.ru
I join this Appeal:
On behalf of mother-volunteers who help to abandoned children in hospitals of the Moscow Region
Elena Alshanskaya
37, Oktabr’skaya st., the Town of Kurovskoe, Moscow Region.
Tel.: 8-4964-11-41-47
Cell: 8-903-737-40-42
poleles@yandex.ru
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