MOSCOW, June 27 (Itar-Tass) - Russia has developed an addiction to American adoptions of its children, the press service of the Russian children’s rights ombudsman quoted his as saying.
“A not very legal business has been built around American adoptions. It is now hampering child adoptions in Russia,” he said. Thus, in his words, some Russian regions were more willing to “get rid of their orphans giving them to the United States rather than organizing an efficient adoptions system locally.”
Commenting on the recent ban on American adoptions, Astakhov said it was a move Russia was preparing itself for a long time. Such an option was first considered back in April 2010 and the ombudsman delivered a special report to the president on that matter, the press service said. According to Astakhov, the measure was necessitated by the need to improve the domestic situation and encourage adoptions inside Russia. “The problem is not linked only with the cases of child mistreatment and even death in American adoptive families,” he added.
“Now, there is understanding in Russian society that it is ourselves who are responsible for this problem, there is growing hope that we are capable of solving this problem by ourselves,” Astakhov said. Should the current adoption rates be preserved, the problem could be solved in a span of seven to ten years.
Pavel Astakhov and Konstantin Dolgov, the Russian foreign ministry’s human rights envoy, are currently on a working visit to the United States.