Russia and U.S. Near Completion of Adoption Accord
July 29, 2010
In June, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and U.S. President Barack Obama shook hands on a nearly completed adoption accord that may pave the way for better processes for Russian children adopted into U.S. families.
In a joint statement issued on June 24, the presidents said, “We are convinced that all children have the right to grow up in a family environment, in an atmosphere of happiness, love, and understanding…However, tragic incidents involving children adopted between our countries caused by the adoptive parents underscore the importance of ensuring reliable protections for the rights, safety, and well-being of adopted children. We are committed to doing everything in our power to achieve this.” (Full statement available at www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/US-Russia Joint Statement on Intercountry Adoption.pdf)
Russian and U.S. officials have been working on a legal framework governing the adoption of Russian orphans by U.S. parents. Pavel Astakhov, the Kremlin’s ombudsman for children’s rights, said, “The agreement will give everyone more confidence in the process and provide some [legal] guarantees as well.”
According to Mr. Astakhov, the accord will end private adoptions and place the adoption process solely in the hands of international agencies that have been vetted and accredited by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science. It will also require prospective parents to undergo special training and mandate regular reports on the progress and conditions Russian children find in their adoptive homes. U.S.-Russia adoptions became an emotional issue in April when an adoptive mother in Tennessee put the unaccompanied seven-year-old boy on a plane back to Russia. New adoptions by U.S. parents virtually stopped, and some in Russia called for a ban on all such adoptions in the future.
Astakhov said U.S. officials need additional time to coordinate provisions in the new agreement with the laws of several states. He said the agreement was two-sided and would apply to any U.S. children adopted by Russian parents.
Some 1,800 Russian children were adopted in the United States last year, according to the Russian Education and Science Ministry.
—Compiled from information from the Christian Science Monitor and the Associated Press.
