Governmental commission for juveniles holds meeting in Moscow, presided over by Minister of the Interior Rashid Nurgaliev

On March 14, the Governmental Commission for Juveniles and Protection of their Rights met in Moscow at the Russian Government House.

The meeting was attended by head of the Russian State Duma Committee for Women, Family and Children Ekaterina Lakhova, director of the Human Resources Policy Department at the Ministry for Emergencies Sergey Shliakhov, deputy director of the Department for State Policy for Youth, Upbringing and Social Protection of Children at the Ministry of Education and Science Igor Beliak, executive secretary of the Governmental Commission for Juveniles and Protection of their Rights and deputy head of the MOI Public Order Protection Department Vladimir Golubovskiy, deputy director of the Federal Drug Trafficking Control Service of Russia Vladimir Zubrin, Mari El Republic president Leonid Markelov, deputy chairman of the Orlovsk Regional Collegium and head of the Social Policy Department Aleksandr Labeykin, chairperson of the Commission for Juveniles and Protection of their Rights and Ulyanovsk Region Education and Social Development Minister Tamara Deviatkina.

The meeting was opened by the Governmental Commission Chairman - Minister of the Interior Army General Rashid Nurgaliev.

"Last year the Commission worked to provide first-hand assistance to disadvantaged children, which has helped bring down the juvenile crime rate," the Minister pointed out.

These words are illustrated by the following statistics: 2006 saw a 2.9% reduction in the number of crimes committed by juveniles or with their involvement, while the percentage of such crimes in the general crime structure has declined to 8.4%.

The number of serious and violent crimes has dropped by an impressive 7.1%. The number of murders and attempted murders has declined by 20.1%, cases of serious bodily injury by 16.5%, acts of hooliganism by 20.5%, and robberies by more than 7%.

At the same time, the Minister underscored the need to adequately respond to cruelty against children and any infringements on their interests. "To this end, we are stepping up law-enforcement efforts to protect the life and health of juveniles from criminal infringements. Some 96,000 crimes against juveniles were recorded, which represents a 17.9% increase from 2005," the Minister said.

The Governmental Commission chairman believes that today it is crucial to provide comprehensive support for children from underprivileged families. As he put it, the adoption of the governmental program to provide state support for disadvantaged children will make it possible to structure the efforts of executive state agencies in the spheres of education, upbringing, healthcare, social and legal protection of juveniles, aimed at preventing child neglect.

The Minister of the Interior also touched on the painful issue of rising drug addition among adolescents.

"Last year, 4,300 minors under the influence of drugs and 14,100 intoxicated minors were taken into custody.  More than 5,000 adults were prosecuted for engaging adolescents in alcohol and substance abuse."

The Minister believes that a response to this worrisome trend should be the creation of a system of early detection of drug addiction, diagnostics and rehabilitation centers, as well as steps to prevent distribution of drugs at schools, night clubs, and discos.

The Minister also spoke of the numerous challenges faced in addressing the problems of social orphans: "In this sphere there is a shortage of skilled specialists and psychologists who would professionally work with disadvantaged families." As a result, in 2006 alone some 46,200 orphans were apprehended by law enforcers for various misdemeanors, including 11,300 children who had no guardians.

Speaking of the key areas of crime prevention among juveniles, Minister Nurgaliev pointed out that a cornerstone of this policy should be resolution of problems of professional training and employment of juveniles.

"Many adolescents from disadvantaged families, who wish to work and are capable, cannot master a profession and obtain a source of income, or find their place in life. The regions need a professional training system for young people, particularly for 14- to 16-year-olds, who are forced to abandon education in order to support themselves and their families."

Another way to deter juveniles from crime is to get them involved in sports. But even this poses quite a few challenges, according to the Minister. While the number of various gaming and gambling joints is on the rise, accessibility of sports classes and circles for disadvantaged adolescents remains a major issue. Currently there are more than 26 million adolescents in Russia, but only an estimated 450,000 of them attend sports and patriotic classes and circles.

The Commission chairman admitted with regret that there are still unresolved problems of social rehabilitation, professional training, employment, and housing for adolescents who have been given suspended sentences or have been released from correctional facilities and other specialized establishments.

"Law-enforcement services maintain a growing list of 38,000 juveniles with a criminal record, of whom only one in five has a job. Without a possibility to find employment and left without any means of subsistence, many of them again set out on the path of crime. In 2006, there were a total of 9,200 repeat offenders among juveniles."

The problems highlighted in the Minister's report reflect the general situation in the country. Commission members and invited participants focused particular attention on examining these problems.

Roman Brusov

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