Russia

Since the Committee's reporting, Russia has used its influence in the Donbass region, an annexed part of Ukraine, to militarize children and education for its own purposes. Reports from December 2018 indicate that more than 5,000 children have passed through militarized patriotic camps and are being used as soldiers. The big refugee wave currently waiting to enter the EU between Belarus and Poland is also co-initiated by Russia.

The Committee remains concerned about the large number of cases of sexual exploitation and abuse of children in the State party and the lack of cooperation between law enforcement agencies and the social system to prevent such offences or to rehabilitate victims of sexual violence and sexual abuse.
The Committee recommends that the State party establish interdepartmental cooperation, in particular between law enforcement agencies and social services structures, in order to prevent sexual exploitation and abuse of children and to provide timely and effective rehabilitation to victims of such crimes. The Committee also recommends that the State party take urgent measures to investigate all information relating to sexual abuse of children, including LGBTI children, and prosecute and punish the perpetrators of such crimes.

The Committee urges the State party to ensure the conformity of its legislation, policies and practices with the aim of effectively addressing the needs of children with disabilities in a non-discriminatory manner. Furthermore, the Committee recommends that the State party take all the necessary measures to prevent mass institutionalization of children with disabilities and ensure sufficient alternative family- and community-based care options for children with disabilities deprived of a family environment, by educating the public and providing all the necessary support to families with children with disabilities. Russia should employ independent medical experts to monitor and review the diagnosis of children with mental disabilities, especially children without family care, and their placement in special care institutions by boards of psychological, medical and educational specialists. Additionally, Russia should provide education and developmental activities to children with mental disabilities on a regular basis and stop the practice of categorizing children as “unteachable”.

The Committee is concerned about the increasing number of children with chronic pathologies and disabilities, especially among children without parental care and children in difficult situations. It is also concerned about the frequent occurrence of malnourishment, especially among children of migrant workers, and the significant obstacles faced by such children and asylum-seeking children in obtaining medical assistance, including preventive health care and emergency assistance.
To improve the situation, the Committee recommends that the State party take measures to regularly assess the health conditions of children deprived of parental care and children in difficult situations in order to prevent irreparable damage to their health. The Committee also recommends that the State party take measures to provide all children, irrespective of their legal status in the country, with access to medical assistance, in particular preventive health care and emergency assistance, without any discrimination.

The Committee is concerned about the negative impact of coal extraction and the production of asbestos on children’s health, especially those living in the Kemerovo and Ural regions.
The Committee recommends that Russia establishes and implements regulations to ensure that the business sector complies with international and national human rights as well as labour, environmental and other standards. In particular, it urges the State party to establish a clear regulatory framework for the oil and gas industries and coal-extraction businesses operating in the State party to ensure that their activities do not negatively affect human rights or endanger environmental and other standards, especially those relating to indigenous children’s rights. Also, Russia should curtail the production of asbestos and raise the public’s awareness of the toxicity of asbestos and its effect on health and provide timely reparation to limit ongoing and future damage to the health and development of children affected and compensate for any damage that has occurred.

The Committee urges the State party to establish a juvenile justice system in full compliance with the Convention. In particular, the Committee recommends that the State party expedite the adoption of the laws establishing a juvenile justice system, including juvenile courts with specialized staff and a restorative justice approach, to follow up on the positive decrease in the number of children sentenced to deprivation of liberty and prevent the unlawful detention of children and ensure that legal safeguards are guaranteed for children detained. Russia should also ensure that children who reach the age of majority while in detention can stay in institutions for juvenile offenders until they reach their mid-twenties as a rule. Furthermore, Russia should develop comprehensive rehabilitation and reintegration measures for all children in conflict with the law.

The Committee is seriously concerned about reports that children born to Roma, refugee and asylum-seeking mothers with non-Russian passports or without identity documents are denied birth registration and are issued with only a hospital certificate indicating merely their sex, height and weight. The Committee is concerned that this practice gives rise to a new generation of undocumented persons, whose rights are limited in all areas of life.
Therefore, the Committee urges the State party to ensure that all children born in its territory, irrespective of the status of their parents, are registered on the same terms as children born to Russian citizens and are issued with a standard birth certificate.

Concluding observations on the fourth and fifth periodic reports released on 25 February 2014. More information about education in Russia: http://www.rbth.com