the number of children in social institutions has decreased by 70% over 10 years – Kommersant

The number of children in social institutions has decreased by 70% over ten years, said Maria Lvova-Belova, Commissioner for Children’s Rights under the President of the Russian Federation. According to her, there are now 38 thousand children in the federal data bank.

“These are mainly social orphans, 71% are children who have parents, add to this children who are in social rehabilitation centers, shelters, orphanages and boarding schools at the request of their parents. This is hidden social orphanhood,” said the Ombudsman at the opening of the forum “Prevention of Social Orphanhood. To live and be raised in a family” (quote from RIA Novosti).

She noted three aspects that need to be paid attention to when talking about social orphanhood. “Firstly, children who are in the family, and the prospect of them ending up in an institution is quite high; children ended up in an institution, and what needs to be done to keep them there for the shortest possible time; children have been in the institution for a long time: what has been done and whether it has been done in principle to return them to a family environment,” listed Mrs. Lvova-Belova

As of the end of August, according to the Ombudsman’s Office, in Russia was 36.7 thousand children left without parental care. In July, the Federation Council approved a law that would include more information about how they live and are raised in foster care, including information about their physical and emotional health, into a data bank on orphans.

Details – in the publication “Kommersant” “Adoptive families will contribute to the data bank”.

Laura Keffer