Russia Vows to Improve Orphanages, Continue to Encourage Domestic Adoptions UPDATED

We are going to hold you to that!

The article Putin encourages Russians to adopt children [RIA Novosti 12/15/11] says “Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said it was important to encourage Russians to adopt children and reduce the need for foreigners in the adoption of the country’s children.

“In regard to improving conditions in orphanages and solve other social issues concerning children without parental care—I mean first of all providing them with housing—conditions need to be made for reducing the number of foreigners who adopt Russian children, to reduce it to zero in the near future, and encourage Russians to adopt children,” Putin said during a televised Q&A session with the nation.

The prime minister added that he was not in favor of foreigners adopting Russian children.

“But in our country there are many people who believe and say that the conditions in our orphanages and other social institutions are not favorable for children, and they would be happier if they were in a favorable environment provided by foreigners who want to have children,” Putin said.

According to the prime minister, the number of Russian families adopting children has increased, and last year 72,000 children were adopted by Russian families.

“This is a positive trend that we will support,” Putin added.

He also noted that at the same time, it is important to improve conditions in Russian orphanages.”

REFORM Puzzle Piece

Update: “The number of applications from foreigners willing to adopt children which were ruled upon by Russian courts in 2012 is 21% lower than in 2011, according to the Russian Supreme Court statistics.

A review of judicial practice indicates that regional courts delivered a judgment in 3,079 international adoption cases, including 3,069 positive rulings. Only 2,426 cases were heard in 2012, with 2,410 positive verdicts.

The judicial practice review states that there were 14,380 child adoption applications from Russian nationals, of which 122 were rejected.

In January 2013, Moscow banned Americans from adopting Russian children as part of legislation passed shortly after Washington passed the Magnitsky Act, which introduced sanctions against Russian officials suspected of human rights abuses.

President Vladimir Putin’s representative said the Magnitsky Act had triggered the adoption ban. But Russian officials also cite the deaths of at least 20 Russian adopted children in the United States during the past two decades as a driving factor in Moscow’s push for the ban.”

Number of foreign adoption applicants in Russia falls

[RAPSI News 5/23/13]