A large number of Russian Culture and Science figures undersigned the petition to the Russian President against  the so-called "juvenile legislation" that may allow putting children into orphanages in the case of family abuse or extreme poverty conditions.

      The juvenile legislation is focused on providing better opportunities for children in Russia. These include education, health, food, and upbringing in general. This is expected to be the system of defense of the children's rights and is organised very much along the "Western" lines. If approved, it will operate through a group of institutions with a penultimate right to decide whether or not the family is capable of bringing up the child.

      Needless to say, in Russia that prides itself on keeping true to its Orthodox, traditional values the very concept of taking a child out of the family sounds absurd. The mentioned petition explains the peculiarity of the Russian society where the familial life is akin to God-given condition, a link that cannot be broken. The petitions are alarmed at the fact that such legislation "introduces fear to the family": parents may now be afraid that children would complain against the methods of upbringing. Petitioners also believe that extracting a child from the family on the grounds of poor financial and economic status of the family is ludicrous and contradicts the attitude to poverty in Russia and other traditional societies.

      The legislation seeking to protect children's rights, even at this preliminary stage, has practically divided the Russian society. While the more liberal part are evidently in favour of it, the traditionalists decry the attempt to meddle in family life, even for the child's benefit. The sad fact is that familial abuse and poverty have very often constituted a child's reality since perestroika. And while it may be alarming that the state seeks to help children rather than alleviate the economic burden of their parents, it is important to admit that the Russian system of family upbringing also needs a revamp.

      Source: RBC. Image: How-to.co.uk