“Raisa Maximovna Club” conducted a Round Table session on the topic: “Russian Society’s Attitude to the Promotion of Family Forms to Raise Young Orphans”

     On November 1 “Raisa Maximovna Club” conducted a Round Table session on the topic: “Russian Society’s Attitude to the Promotion of Family Forms to Raise Young Orphans”. It was convened within the framework of International Conference devoted to the problem of de-institutionalizing orphans. The conveners of the Conference were the Russian Federation Ministry for Education and Science, the Federal Education Agency and the Moscow Financial Humanitarian Academy.

    The problem of orphans and society’s attitude to children who are left without parental care has been permanently on the agenda of “Raisa Maximovna Club” ever since its inception.  Did the situation change in the past few years? Are we fully aware of the scope of orphancy, which is seen in the world as a “humanitarian catastrophe”? Does the public opinion affect its solution? Why are Russian citizens inclined to place hopes of its solution predominantly on the state? What is the role of media in informing and educating society? What can the community of caregivers, teachers, researchers and activists do for the benefit of their dedicated work with young orphans? In her opening remarks for the discussion Irina Gorbacheva – Virganskaya, Vice-President of the Gorbachev Foundation and the President of “Raisa Maximovna Club” raised all these questions.
 
     The discussion started with an analysis of changes that took place in the past few years. They were highlighted by Galina Semya, an organizer of the Conference and the Round Table, Doctor of Psychology, an expert of UNICEF, Deputy Rector of the Moscow Financial Humanitarian Academy. The inclusion of the issue of the family forms of raising young orphans in the agenda has designated a number of new problems and, first and foremost, the “need to keep high the level of requirements to Russian adoptive parents”.
 
    The speakers were saying that a certain degree of progress has been achieved in the promotion of the family forms of raising young orphans. There are many positive examples in Moscow and in certain Russian regions. However, it is urgently necessary to deal with the questions of child adoption’s legal backing as well as psychological and pedagogical training of families that adopt children. For example, in the past 5 years recorded were 2424 instances of revoking adoption on various grounds, including 160 instances on account of cruel treatment of adopted children by new parents. There is a deficit of professionally trained social workers who can help adopter families. There are no uniform standards for evaluating performance of child-care institutions. Problems would have been solved sooner, if there were a more committed engagement of the public in the discussion. Regrettably, this is not the case.

     The Round Table presented data of public opinion polls regarding the attitude to young orphans. Analysis contained in the presentation made by Veronica Oslon has shown that for the majority of people polled young orphans are “somebody else’s” “not very good” children. They are pitied, if not disliked. When talking of the role paid by media and of the change in society’s attitude to the problem of young orphans the speakers have dealt with inter-related objectives: the need to educate the public and shape public opinion as well as supply information to those who are keen on this topic. Information objective is now being successfully fulfilled in Russia.

      Journalist Armen Popov supplied information about the new Web site of the Russian Federation Ministry of Education http://www.usynovite.ru/ , and in his presentation report he demonstrated the capacity of this Web-based resource. Expressive clips were shown as an example of social advertisements to promote child adoption. Unfortunately, TV channels are not very keen on showing these clips, said the speaker. Journalist Olga Suvorova told the audience about a permanent feature of Radio Russia entitled “Addresses of Charity”. Fedor Krasnov, Director of Orphanage “Svyatozar” demonstrated social advertisements made in Khanty-Mansyisk
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       Representatives of Moscow and of Russian regions attended the Round Table. Materials of the discussion will be published on the Web site of the Gorbachev Foundation.