Some new data on adoption in Ukraine

September 1, 2006

Look, guys, this article was found in one of Ukrainian forums and now is being offered for your consideration.

Children are hostages of arrogance of the state.

State men have always made attempts to solve the problem of homeless children and social orphanhood. Orphans, abandoned and homeless children as well as kids lacking parental care have always been the part of the country that is in the state of war, revolution, political or economical transformations, reforms, revision of ownership or spheres of dominance.

It is an open secret that there had been formed a stable category of the abandoned children in Ukraine since the announcement of its independence. In accordance with the information from the Authorized Person of the Parliament of Ukraine on human rights there are more than two hundred thousand children residing currently in Ukraine who need state protection. Official statistics says that there are almost 100 000 orphans and children who are lacking parental care in Ukraine. Bare figures witness that one child out of every 90 is a social orphan.

There existed, for sure, much worse and more horrible historical periods. For example, at the close of the 20-ies of the XX century waifs and strays outnumbered 4.2 million. Thus, Ukraine has been referring to Dzerzhinsky and Makarenko for the last 15 years and claiming that this problem might and must be solved. However, things are right where they started.

On the other hand, one cannot but appreciate system of the orphanages and boarding schools created in the former USSR (fortunately, it does still exist and function). They also tried but have not got much positive result with orphanages where many orphan-kids live with two adults as one big family. The last achievements of the independent Ukraine became adoptive families.

In order to protect children rights Ukraine had ratified UNO Convention “On Children Rights” that assumes as an alternative option the adoption of Ukrainian children without native biological family by foreigners. Following the demands of the Convention Ukraine had adopted national Law “On Adoption” (as a separate Article of the Code of Ukraine “On Marriage and Family”) currently reflected in the new Family Code of Ukraine. Due to those legislative and administrative changes Ukrainian citizens had adopted 27 thousand children within the last 10 years. Besides, another 14 thousand children were adopted by foreign citizens.

Programs of the new democratic Ukrainian power about reformation of guardianship authorities seemed to be very attractive as soon as they implied simplification of the adoption procedure in order to make transfer of the orphans to their new families for upbringing more mobile. Under this aegis the State Center for Adoption under the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine had been liquidated and the new State Department of Adoption and Protection of Children Rights under the Ministry of Ukraine on Family Affairs, Youth and Sports was created. Even new democratic slogans were added to arsenal: “Money will chase children”.

However, in spite of this “titanic work” position of orphans and children who are lacking parental care has not improved. Actually, vice versa, it has taken a turn for the worse. Children became hostages of non-professional activity, or rather inactivity, of, so to say, reformed guardianship authorities and pride and self-love of managers of the new State Department. Loud calls to increase regional orphanages and adoptive families that were supposed to take practically all abandoned children appeared to be Utopia. The tasks to increase the total number of new family orphanages set for the Heads of regional Administrations became just a state fiction and falsification of statistics. The slogan “Money will chase children” had been repeated many times by the Ministry Heads but is still a slogan and nothing more as soon as the state budget for the year 2006 does not make any provision for these goals.

The same ephemeral promises of the young Minister of the Ministry of Family and Youth one can hear about increase of state assistance and help for new-born children, etc.

Kids have got only plans, projects, reforms and renovations. The new Department has already received 24 thousand dossiers of children who have been waiting for 4 months for arrival of their adopters. Orphanages and infant departments in hospitals are overcrowded. More and more people are being deprived of their parental rights by Courts. More and more minor children are being delivered to the orphanages because they have neither home, nor family.

All the abovementioned provokes a question: “What are the 52 state employees of the Department doing? What for are they getting their salary? Did they initiate and solve any global issues in this sphere? What have they actually done for children?”

There has not been created national database of children who request protection, - and this means that the scale of problem is still unclear. Similarly, the database of potential adopters had not been created and, thus, the total number of people who are ready to take children for upbringing is not familiar. In other words, we do not know how many children can acquire a new family. Moreover, those issues were the priority tasks of the President of Ukraine.

As soon as national adoption in Ukraine mainly takes place on the regional level (i.e. local authorities of executive power are involved and the final decision is taken by the Court) the State Department is not aggravated in this sphere also. They can, actually, only collect some figures. However, the press-conference, arranged by the newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda”, illustrated that deputy Director of the Department Mrs.Balym could not even answer the direct question about how many children had been adopted by Ukrainian citizens within the first half of 2006.

One can, certainly, get this data from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine or make an inquiry in Court statistics. Unfortunately, you will not create a certain picture for yourself because “pure adoptions” of orphans are not separated from inner family one.

State officials (statemen or, rather, statewomen) of the Department decided to do their best in creating different tables and drawing schedules that they enjoy to demonstrate during workshops, conferences, TV-meetings, etc. They also prefer mere verbiage about the advantages and preferences of the reforms carried out.

The Minister with his pointer and the same schedules and tables at every TV-channel gives peculiar impression. Particularly, when he operates with off-the-shelf phrases about the priority of national adoption which was initially understood as adoptive families and orphanages of family type.

The so-called “statewomen” have also perfectly mastered organization of meetings and workshops. The last one in Kherson together with chief doctors of the orphanages was closed with carouse on vessel charted at state account.

Finally, the Department actually buried international adoption. Quite a convenient position: no adoption abroad – no problems. Then, what about the kids? No one cares! New Department will find them Ukrainian adopters, or adoptive family, or elite orphanage, like “Zhemchuzhina” (“Pearl”) in Odessa. International adoption is practically under moratorium.

Actually, first efforts of the new administration of the Department in the field of international adoption have been undertaken. Though, we will talk later about that.

In spite of negative public opinion about former administration of the Centre, one must admit that all the previous administrations carried out lots of efforts in order to improve activity of the Centre, to create complete database of the children and to establish mutual relations with state authorities of foreign countries to ensure feedback and reports, etc.

Previous Administration permitted themselves to go abroad after few years of hard work in Ukraine. However, they often began favoring the country they had recently visited which was not favoring normal activity of the Centre. Nevertheless, it is a part of history now.

New Administration had started its stormy activity particularly with the visits to far foreign countries. One of the middleman in foreign adoption procedures Mr Korovin had arranged summer vacation in Italy for Mrs. Volynets. Another business man from America organized for her a visit to the USA s if she is going to visit the Congress. He used this trick many times with former Administration of the Centre. Just to remind you – the Congress is not in charge for international adoption and has no the slightest relation to this issue. By the way, in the USA there is no central authority of state power for international adoption and there is no clear system of international adoption agencies registration. Most violations in this sphere occur in the USA or committed by the USA citizens. Though, it is not our major topic now.

The result of such trips was the new policy of the Department and their new slogan: “It is not parents who choose children, it is children who choose the family”. The matter is that the Department set priorities of international adoption. This violates the existing laws, but… Since now those families will have privileges that had invited children from Ukraine for treatment before. If we take into consideration that the Korovins family as interpreters has been involved in treating Ukraininan orphans in Italy for many years, as well as in adopting of Ukrainian orphans by Italian families, we will understand that this visit of Mrs. Volynets to Italy brought certain results for Ukrainian middleman Mr.Korovin. The list of families invited to adopt in September is full of families from Italy and the USA where kids spent some time for treatment.

With such priorities the Department violates not only the Law but also coarsely and cynically disturbs rights of children. First of all, in accordance with Ukrainian legislation kids can be sent abroad for treatment since they are six years old. It means that childrren under six will not be able to get new family for them.

In the second place, far not all foreign families who invite children for treatment are able and willing to adopt them afterwards. One child from Kiev orphanage “Malyatko” might serve as a sad example of all the aforementioned. 8 years he regularly comes to have a rest in one Italian family and he dreams about to be adopted in Italy. However, the family is absolutely not going to do that.

Finally, comes the legislative issue! Current legislation of Ukraine clearly sets the procedure of international adoption of Ukrainian children. It says not a single word about preliminary “evaluation” of the child abroad. In due time the General Prosecutor Office strictly chased such a way of “selection”. With this purpose Mrs. Kolinko spent half a year when checking all charity funds that had been involved in treating orphan children abroad.

That is why the current position of superior supervision authority when they ignore disgrace and willfulness of the new Department is astonishing. The explanation could be hidden in declarations and statements of Mrs.Volynets who defies everyone and brags of having “her people” in Prosecution, Ministry of Interal Affairs and National Security Service of Ukraine. At a pinch she has a Minister who shares his hobby with the President and who can cease collisions and protect his employees.

That is what concerning the set priorities of the Department. If to discuss the whole activity of this organization one can state just another confirmation of incapacity of those employees who are supposed to be responsible for important state functions. They are simply lacking required professional capacities. No wonder! Mrs. Volynets (current director of the Department) used to have nothing to do with state service. She was the Head of the Fund “Nadiya i Zhitlo” (“Hope and Dwelling”) involved in few scandals about not very honest deals with apartments belonging to minor citizens. Mrs.Balym was the Head of the Ministry of Education and Science and was dealing not very successfully with pre-school education. Chief of the International Adoption Department Mrs. Remen used to achieve the ordinary position of inspector of childhood protection in one of the districts in Kiev. Then she also appeared in the Ministry of Education and Science where she failed to get much success.

So there is no wonder, that the new Department under such a leadership is not properly operating. Those odious women give the same answers to all questions: “We are working at this” or “We will take this into consideration”.

It is hardly believable that such a great and free country as Ukraine does not have more educated professionals who would, first of all, take into account children problems and not their own ambitions and reforms. Or shall we refer again to experience of Makarenko and emphasize drawbacks of national legislation? Kids are still waiting and pining their hopes on the fact that once a person able and ready to solve so serious children problems will appear in their life.