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Russia and US hold second round of adoption talks
Published: 12 May, 2010, 09:30
Edited: 13 May, 2010, 15:34
TAGS: Children, Russia, Law, USA
Russian and US representatives are meetting in Moscow for the final round of negotiations to lift a ban on adopting Russian children and finalize a deal between the two countries.
Adoption from Russia to America was suspended last month after the culmination of several cases over recent years of neglect by foster parents, including the deaths of Russian children in the US.
The first round of negotiations took place in Moscow on April 29 and 30. At the time, Russia handed the American side a draft agreement. Now the concrete details of it have been discussed.
The American delegation is headed by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Michael Kirby. The Russian representatives include officials from the Education Ministry, the General Prosecutor’s Office and the Russian Commissioner for Children’s Rights Pavel Astakhov.
Pavel Astakhov said that the text of the agreement will be finalized by May 14.
“We can’t afford to spend more than two months on settling all of the issues to sign the agreement,” Astakhov said.
He added it will most likely be signed between Russia’s Education Ministry and either the Department of Justice or the State Department on the American side.
The deal will lead to the creation of a special Russian-American body for foreign adoption, which will also follow the fate of adopted children in foster families.
“We have to know everything about our children. Reporting should be consistent and truthful,” Astakhov stated. “These reports should not only be submitted by the agencies, but the adoptive families as well.”
Adoption by US nationals was frozen after seven-year-old Artyom Saveliev, adopted by an American woman about six years ago, was returned to Russia last month with a note saying that he was no longer wanted.
Overall, since 1992, according to the Ministry of Education, 17 Russian children have died after they were adopted by American parents and brought to the US.
12.05.2010, 07:30
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These statistical data were published on a website (the Voice of Russia]. No matter how one seeks to spins this data, the numbers speak for themselves. Russia needs at least a million births per annum for the next 20 years to recover its population density of 1991. Now, if some of the information I have been read are correct, in the last two years alone more than 6000 Russian children have been adopted in the West. Primarily in the United States! So, for Russia this is not really a good news. Which takes me to the next question: increasing birth rates is good but what about keeping these kids safe, healthy and inside the country? “Russia’s 2009 total mortality rate was 2% lower than in 2008.The infant mortality rate was down 3, 7%. The 2009 childbirth amounted to 428 thousand. This is 6 thousand more than in the year before. The figures are from Health and Social Affairs Minister Tatiana Golikova . She was speaking in the Lower House of Parliament Wednesday” ( the Voice of Russia Wednesday, May 12, 2010.
It is clear that Russia has serious public health and social cohesion problems. This is one of the main causes why hundred of thousands of children are now orphans and abandoned in Russia. What Russia should do to deal with its social problems? Transfer these social problems to other society? We the adoption of Russian children in foreign countries make Russia's social problems go away? In the last 12 months, I read in this very website number of major disasters which took place in Russia. The biggest of these accidents were the hydro electricdame and the last week's coalmine tragic accident. Both accidents took place at the heart of Russia’s resource industry in Siberia. Both accident have or will cause billions of roubles to the Russian economy. Now, is it accident that many of abandoned children in Russia are from Siberia? Something sad and tragic is happening in Russia and the phenomenon of millions of children without parents to care for children who are now available in the commodity in the global adoption industry is symptomatic of something deeply tragic and corrupt taking place in Russia. I do care about Russia and this trend makes me feel truly fearful for the future of this great country.
I just saw an RT interview with a miner who works at the coalmine site that had a terrible accident few days ago. His name is Vladimir and he is a father of 3 children. He was lucky to survive the blast that day because he took the day off to be with his children. Russia’s is so corrupt and morally bankrupt because the nation is now run by greedy corporation leaders who do not care for the wellbeing of ordinary working people. One does not need to look so hard to find the root causes of why so many Russian children are abandoned or become orphaned each year and why these children are now priced commodity in the adoption baby market. If Russia stays in this destructive course, it will ensure its own weakening and eventual dissolution.