05.06.2019

Anna Kuznetsova, the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, said that the number of babies left by mothers at birth decreased by 22% last year.

In total, 2889 babies were left at birth, Anna Kuznetsova reported. According to her, 47 370 children in 2018 were listed in databases of children without parental care. The ombudswoman emphasised that this is almost 20% less than previously.

Kuznetsova noted that from 2016 to 2018 the number of children taken away from their parents due to a threat to their life and health decreased by 36%. TASS reported that the number of parents who were deprived of their parental rights reduced by 15.6%, as well as the number of children whose parents have limited parental rights.

“The number of abandoned children has significantly decreased, the statistics are correct,” Svetlana Stroganova, the director of the Foster Families Club of the charity ‘Arifmetika dobra’, commented. “How should we assist mothers-to-be? With psychological, informational and material support. And this is already being done: first and foremost, it is an educational effort. For instance, it has become less common to give up children who have Down’s syndrome. Secondly, more support is being offered to women in difficult life situations – many foundations are working in this area. I think that these figures will continue to decrease gradually, if there is no serious economic crisis.”

Source: https://www.asi.org.ru/news/2019/06/05/ostavlennye-deti