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United Nations Children's Fund |
Children’s Rights in Russian Boarding Homes The Russian government has asked UNICEF to provide assistance in developing the federal law “On Social Protection of Invalid Children and Disabled Children who Live in Institutions.” It is a well-known fact that disabled children living in institutions are essentially isolated from society and their access to medical services, rehabilitation, education and social support is extremely limited. This March, UNICEF invited experts on the rights and restructuring of children’s institutions from the American organization Mental Disability Rights International and organized a round table with their participation for Russian federal and regional authorities and non-government organizations. The participants in the round table were given the opportunity not only to acquaint themselves with international legislation and standards on the protection of invalid children’s rights and with American experience in reforming the boarding home system, but also, by filtering the information obtained through the prism of current Russian legislation and the actual state of affairs, to outline several specific provisions which could be included in the new Law. Earlier, in the fall of 1998, a group of experts from MDRI, at UNICEF’s request and with the support of the Russian government, visited several children’s boarding homes and other institutions involved in work with invalid children (rehabilitation centers, hospitals) in the Kaliningrad and Saratov regions, as well as in Moscow, and they met with specialists from federal ministries, regional authorities, and non-government organizations, as well as the parents of children with development deficiencies. The large amount of material and facts gathered during the mission and discussions held was summarized in a report entitled “Children in Russia’s Institutions: Human Rights and Opportunities for Reform.” During discussion of the report with Russian government and non-government organizations and international partners, UNICEF is organizing a series of meetings and round tables in order to reinforce a kind of “civilian partnership” among the parties interested in reform and draw up a joint plan of action. UNICEF is also planning to implement urgent projects for improving the situation of children in several of Russia’s institutions. |
Young People Health and Development Program in the Russian Federation Extreme concern is aroused in Russia by the increase in cases of HIV/AIDS infection and the level of drug use among young people. Seventy-one percent of the 40,000 people infected with HIV in Russia are young people between the ages of 10 and 24. The Care for Future Adults Program which UNICEF is implementing in Kaliningrad offers a comprehensive approach to resolving this problem. In 1998, UNICEF opened a Youth Information Center with the support of the Delta-K non-government student organization, as well as a youth Hotline at the municipal youth social protection center. Within the framework of the Stay Safe program conducted in cooperation with the Kaliningrad regional medical center on disease prevention, UNICEF is implementing a program that advocates a healthy lifestyle. In 1998, UNICEF also held several seminars for young journalists from Kaliningrad, Ekaterinburg and St. Petersburg, and organized prizes for the press and grants for young doctors who were called on to help young people engage in a healthy lifestyle. |
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United Nations Association of Russia (UNAR) |
The First University Human Rights Office in Russia Opens at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations The ceremonial opening of the first university human rights office was held at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MSIIR). The opening ceremony of the office, which was founded with the active cooperation and support of the UN Development Program in the Russian Federation, was attended by professors, students, government and public representatives and members of foreign diplomatic missions in Moscow. Speaking before those gathered, MSIIR Rector, Professor Anatoly Torkunov emphasized the special importance of introducing the position of an independent protector of civil and human rights, who would act a neutral mediator in relations between students and the administration, and between bosses and their subordinates. According to him, this initiative could be beneficial for other Russian and CIS universities, which have already shown great interest in the activity of the university ombudsman. In turn, Resident Representative of the UN Development Program Philippe Elghouayel expressed his satisfaction with the inauguration of the ombudsman office and stressed that the UN Development Program would give its constant attention and support to other important undertakings in the area of human rights. In mid-April, the UN Development Program, along with MSIIR, plans to hold an international seminar on the topic “The Role of the University Ombudsman in Creating a High Level of Legal Interrelations Among Members of the Collective,” which will be attended by the representatives of many Russian and CIS universities. Oleg Ultsiferov, a Russian Federation Honorable Professor, was elected by the University Academic Board as the MSIIR authorized human rights activist. “The idea of creating a human rights office arose at the end of 1997,” relates the first Russian ombudsman. “In January 1998, we visited the University of California at Santa Cruz to acquaint ourselves with ombudsman work and soon thereafter introduced this position at our institute. On the whole, the students and personnel have a more positive than negative attitude toward the creation of the ombudsman office, although there is still an element of caution.” Oleg Ultsiferov has various tasks to resolve. The most important of these are settling conflict situations which arise in the dormitory and resolving problems with the University’s working personnel. According to him, the students are not totally convinced about the merits the ombudsman and there are few complaints at present about abuse from professors. However, this does not mean that the situation at MSIIR is ideal, it is rather evidence that the students have still not realized all the advantages of this human rights institution. In the future, the ombudsman office will also have to deal with other problems, particularly organizing projects for vacancies and promotion contests. There are plans to revive publishing activity with the aid of the ombudsman, since this will help to protect the rights of professors and establish good relations with the trade unions. |
In Brief
This forum will continue the discussion of human rights problems in Russia in relation with the 50th anniversary of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. During the conference, there are plans to discuss the observance of human rights in the Russian regions and the difficulties and problems involved with this. There are also plans to invite representatives from human rights organizations, including from the Russian regions, scientists, public representatives, as well as representatives from the UN and other international organizations to the conference. The Russian Association of UN Assistance, the Federation of Peace and Accord and the Russian Association of Political Science will hold a conference in December 1999 on “The Culture of Peace and the Future of Russia.” The conference was timed to coincide with the beginning of the International Year of Peace Culture (2000) declared by UNESCO. There are plans to invite Russian scientists, pedagogues, cultural and art figures, public representatives, and foreign guests to participate in this conference. During the meeting, the problems of education will be discussed in the spirit of peace culture, and the state of affairs with respect to relevant education programs in Russia will be reviewed. |
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