23.06.2017, Russia.
People often take children into their families to receive benefits; furthermore, sexual abuse of such children is increasingly common, a spokesperson of the Investigative Committee of Russia, Igor Komissarov, said on June 23, Interfax news agency reports.
“Unfortunately, the fast growth of the number of those willing to adopt a child to raise in their families is often due to the interest in receiving a steady income; for some foster parents this is the only way to earn their living,” the Senior Assistant to the Investigative Committee Director said during a Federation Council round table discussion on the problems of adopted children.
Also, the official pointed out facts of sexual abuse. For example, in Khabarovsk Territory, a male foster parent committed over 700 acts of sexual abuse against five girls under his foster care in the period from 2012 till 2017.
A criminal case was initiated against not only the man but also, under charges of negligence, against child protective service officials, the Committee’s official web site reports.
The Committee’s spokesperson believes that the training of foster parents should be improved. “They cannot be people who adopt children because of low living standards. They must be people with professional competencies, and they must be accountable as professionals,” Komissarov said.
One should distinguish between actual adopting families where children are adopted by the parents vs. “professional”, or “foster”, families where orphaned children are accommodated under a contract between children protective services and the foster parents. Parental organizations campaign against the advance of this “contractual parenting” practice, which is part of the system of forced foster care. They demand a prioritized support to birth families and families with adopted children.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
