Hearing spotlights problems of street kids

There are approximately 1 million neglected children in Russia today, according to the Labor Ministry. As reported by Rosbalt, the figure was cited by Vera Lekareva, vice chair of the lower house's Committee on Women, Families and Youth, during Duma hearings. She said 2002 had seen 681,000 neglected and abandoned children turned over to internal affairs units, a 250% rise from 2001. 'More than 50,000 juveniles are on wanted lists, 96,000 were the victims of crime and 4,000 children and adolescents died at the hands of criminals. Approximately 24,000 juveniles are currently missing,' Lekareva noted.

As a result of the discussions, participants in the hearing adopted recommendations directed to the government of the Russian Federation, the State Duma and the executive branches of political subdivisions of the Russian Federation. Specifically, it was recommended that the Education Ministry start work toward a national program for the moral training of children and youth in Russia. In addition, members of the Duma called for more active and better targeted efforts to draw social organizations and the media into the battle with the problems of abandoned children, drug addiction and delinquency among juveniles.