­The Casey Anthony saga is finally over – the woman has been cleared.
For several months, having forgotten all about other domestic problems
(debt talks, unemployment, police abusing their power) the mainstream
media have been fixated on the investigation.  Though it wasn’t  the
only crime committed against minors in the US,  the  Casey Anthony
case has been widely reported by  mainstream media.

Still, it’s a bit unclear to me.  Did the continuous coverage mean to
divert Americans’ attention away from the real issues threatening the
country, or, has American society finally realized the importance in
observing children’s rights not only in words, but in deeds as well?

 According to Children Advocacy Center statistics, more than 266.000
children in this country experienced ill-treatment last year. Among
them 184,087 children reported sexual abuse and 44,029 children
reported physical abuse.

A group of children who seem to be at extra risk of abuse are those
adopted from Russia. Stories of children killed, injured or
intimidated are frequently in the news.  Since 1992, at least
seventeen Russian kids were killed by their adopted parents. The real
numbers might be much higher as thousands of Russian kids have been
brought into the US since the Soviet Union’s collapse, often without
proper documentation and parental screening. Their fate remains
unclear. The most cynical incident known, however, occurred last year,
when Torry Hansen, a Tennessee woman simply sent her adopted son back
to Russia.  The 7-year old travelled all the way alone without luggage
but with a note from the so-called mom, saying: “I return him”.

It’s no secret that the children available for adoption usually come
from troubled backgrounds. Those explaining the violence directed at
the Russian kids justify the crimes as a response to the aggressive or
strange behavior of the minors, either a result of their bad genetics
or upbringing. Well, to me it all sounds like merely an excuse.  First
of all, abandoned kids are usually MEANT to be from a bad social
environment. No proper parent would ever abandon their child, right?
Second, why go all the way to Russia to adopt a troubled kid, if you
will not have the patience to work through all the emotional baggage
that child is bound to bring along? I have got only one answer to that
 – there is never a good excuse for violence or for returning – like a
pair of jeans  that didn’t quite fit you the way you had hoped – a
child. There is a particular cruelty to rejecting a kid who has
already felt the pain of being abandoned.

Having children implies responsibility; it is not a fashion. One can’t
go adopting a kid only because one’s favorite singer Madonna or the
Brangelina couple decided to do so.  Instead of torture, these
children need care, attention and love to help them to recover;
something which they are often not getting here in the US.

So, no wonder Russia stepped in and decided to monitor the well-being
of adopted children more closely. Given the difference in cultural
backgrounds, as well as the traumatic experience of being transported
away from all that was once familiar, no matter how far from ideal
that “home” may have been, there inevitably will be difficulties to
adjust for the kids in their new circumstances. A recent agreement,
signed by Russia and the US,  means the rights of the adopted kids
will be better protected hence forth. Sadly, it won’t be able to help
the thousands of kids brought to the US from Russia back in the 90-s.

The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.