The authors argue that the true scale of the trade in children is better reflected in the statistics for the numbers of children reported missing. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, 20,295 children were reported missing in 2000 (up 17 percent from 1999), including 7,154 young children. Procuracy officials estimate the total number of children who have “disappeared” at about 300,000. Read More
Human Rights Watch found the Russian orphanage system condemns children “to a life of deprivation and cruelty.” More than 200,000 children are classified as being “without parental care” and placed in orphanages, though as many as 95 percent of them still have a living parent, the organization concluded. Read More
This literature will determine what major factors influence a child’s response to death and to understand how children react to the death of a parent at different developmental stages. Read More
The number of foreign children adopted by Americans fell 12 percent in the past year, reaching the lowest level since 1999 as some countries clamped down on the process and others battled with allegations of adoption fraud. Read More
Moscow, Russia (CNN) — Though Oksana is 4 years old, she is much shorter than other children who are a year younger. She barely talks, and yet doesn’t hesitate to climb up in her puffy dress to sit next to a visitor on a couch, after flashing an impish smile.
Administrators at Children’s Home Number 59 in Moscow say Oksana was found by police, after apparently being abandoned. She was then delivered to a hospital and eventually ended up at this orphanage.
Of the more than 83 children registered here, Oksana stands the best chance of being adopted — simply because she is one of the youngest children here.
Darya Tatarenko is a young child psychologist who works at Children’s Home Number 59. The 22-year-old graduate of Moscow State University has a deep personal interest in adoption: one of her sisters was adopted.
During the last week of my stay in Moscow this past May, I decided to head out to Kitezh where a friend of mine was living for the summer. I caught a ride with an 18-yr old kid who was making money off bussing people out to Kaluga in his dad’s minivan. He made the three-hour drive in two, and dropped me off at the bus station where I waited for a minibus to take me another two hours to Baryatino. From there it was a taxi ride out to the tiny, isolated village of Kitezh.
Kitezh is the name of a magical town in Russian folklore and the village that has adopted its name is itself a surreal experience. A tiny communal group created specifically to foster orphaned children, they are almost entirely self-sustaining and are raising these children in a very healthy, familial environment. The entire village is involved in the education and social development of the children, they eat all their meals together, are involved in building, farming, etc. They put me to work as soon as I got there and I loved every minute of it. It turned out to be a very educational and eye-opening experience for me on alternative solutions to the issue of orphans in Russia.
Since 1997, ROOF has been a pioneer in providing high-quality educational opportunities for children and young adults from Russian orphanages. Our aim is to help each child or young adult by providing opportunities and encouragement to learn and grow; to take advantage of their own talents and gifts and make the most of them, working to overcome the disadvantages of their past and become more fully themselves. Read More
Imagine the life of 4 million orphans and homeless children living in Russia and the Ukraine… Wondering where the next meal will come from… Living in street alleys, stairwells and sewers…Having no hopes, no dreams, no loving family…Freezing to death or lost to drugs, crime and suicide…This is the life of these children… Read More
In the last generation, Russia has undergone significant social and economic change. During the post-Soviet era, the depreciation of Russian currency and unemployment led to alcoholism, prostitution, and other social conditions which resulted in many children being born to parents who could not provide proper care. This strain caused many families to send their children to state-run children’s homes, but because of a lack of funding, communities struggle to provide these services for its citizens. Read More
There are presently over one million orphans in Russia living in state run institutions. The vast majority of them are not true orphans in the real sense of the word. They often have a living parent, but are forced into orphanages because their parents have been stripped of custody for a number of different reasons, most commonly, alcohol or drug abuse. These children are known as ‘social orphans’. The Federal childcare system provides orphans with housing and food. However, due to a chronic lack of funds, the living conditions in the majority of orphanages, especially those in rural provinces, are horrendous. In many cases, the children’s most basic needs for items such as warm clothing, sturdy shoes, simple hygiene products, medical supplies are simply not met. Read More