Russia's top prosecutor urges closer supervision of children adopted internationally

Russia's top prosecutor urged his country Wednesday to sign international treaties on adoption in hopes of improving the supervision of children placed abroad.

Prosecutor-General Vladimir Ustinov's remarks followed several widely publicized cases of alleged abuse by foreign adoptive parents.

"The absence of intergovernmental agreements or treaties does not allow (Russia) to exercise effective control over the way adopted children are treated and take measures aimed at preventing violence against them," Ustinov was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

The prosecutor's office said 13 adopted children had been killed by foreigners over the past few years - 12 in the United States. It did not offer further details.

Nearly 7,000 Russian children are adopted by foreigners every year, the head of a parliamentary committee said last year.

Russian diplomats keep track of Russian children adopted by foreigners.

But recent cases, such as that of a woman in the U.S. convicted of killing 6-week-old boy she and her husband adopted in Russia, have pressured the government to do more to ensure the children remain in good hands.

Associated Press