Now Russia Allows some final Adoptions (parents, orphanages, children)
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This is good news - but there are still around 50 American families who have passed court, whose children are still in the orphanages and institutions, caught in red tape and confusing, contradictory messages from the various Russian governmental agencies involved in adoption. I hope that as the first few children are released to their parents, others will soon follow suit.
And I pray for those families and especially for the children caught in the midst of this brutal political decision by former KGB operative Putin. Believe me, it's about power and intimidation - it's certainly not about the well-being of the children.
Some have been allowed to have their kids and some haven't. There is one judge who has been told by her superiors not to sign the documents until they hear from the Russian Supreme Court.
Some have been allowed to have their kids and some haven't. There is one judge who has been told by her superiors not to sign the documents until they hear from the Russian Supreme Court.
This sort of inconsistency seems to have more to do with insecurity and the fear of punishment on the parts of the judges at the lower levels of the Russian courts (and in some cases, in the passport offices) than it does with justice and the well-being of the children.
Anyone seen any updates about all those orphanage improvements Putin promised would be put in place? How about anything about family reunification and simplifying requirements for domestic adoption by Russians?
Meanwhile, the children (and committed, loving American would-be families) wait...
Thanks for the link - it's disgraceful that anyone would attempt to take advantage of desperate people in this way, but we see the same sort of thing following natural disasters, sadly. Terrible example of the frailties of human nature, it seems. All families who had adoptions in progress in Russia at the time of the ban have been urged to contact the State Department, and I have not heard or read of anyone falling prey to such predators as this link describes, thankfully, although I can understand how desperation can lead to desperate acts.
Yes, it's only been a few weeks, but these have been weeks during which Americans who had final adoption courts scheduled for early January have been denied them, during which other parents who already have had their adoptions confirmed by the Russian courts have been forced to spend additional time and resources while trying to obtain custody of children who are legally theirs, during which the Russian people have risen up against this action of Putin and his supporters, and during which inconsistency and uncertainties have been the order of the day for both adoptive families and those Russians working with the adoption process in various ways, rather than the clarity sought by so many.
These things have all been widely publicized, thankfully - but where is there any new information asnd updates about the great reforms Putin has promised? If his government is capable of cracking down on adoptions so instantly, then why cannot equally rapid, hands-on attention be given to the plight of hundreds of thousands of orphaned children currently living in Russia's orphanages and institutions?
Surely it would be possible to deliver more and better food, clothing, bedclothes, toys, hygiene items and educational materials, and to schedule workshops in childcare and child development for their caregivers, most of whom are well-intentioned but without credentials in these areas. Surely it would be possible to recruit some of those who claim to care about Mother Russia's children (or perhaps some of the Russian Army, last seen lining the streets of Moscow during the Russian protest of Putin's adoption ban) to repair and renovate the aging facilities in which the majority of these children live.
Surely it would be possible to arrange for more inclusion of the thousands of kids with special needs living in Russia's bleak mental institutions. Surely there must be doctors, nurses, dentists and other healthcare professionals who could either volunteer their services, or be paid by the supposedly caring State for their time. Are these things happening? I have seen no evidence, despite Putin's promises.
Yet in other Eastern European countries, small non-profit domestic charities perform similar work, and do it well. Why cannot Russia's supposedly caring government at least make a few gestures in this direction?
Just checked for an update about a family who had passed court on December 23 and were in the 30-day waiting period required before bringing home a bright little girl with spina bifida. The news from their hometown's paper is that they, too are being refused, since the full 30 days had not passed by January 1. This is in direct contradiction to what the families of the 46 children whose courts were completed had been told by the Russian authorities.
Now, a highly qualified, loving family is without a daughter, and a little girl with special needs is at risk of being sent to a mental institution for the rest of her days. What possible good can be found in this situation?? I pray that the Russian authorities will relent, and that this family can be united and this child will have a both a family and a future.
Yes, this is good to learn. I hope this will clarify things for the various Russian officials at lower levels who were hesitant to proceed due to the confusion. It does appear that the child I referenced in my previous message will be allowed to join her family, who have been in Russia for the last few weeks, hoping and trying hard to bring their new daughter home.
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