|
An Overview of the
Russian Orphan Crisis
It might be helpful for you to know more in
general about the children living in Russian orphanages:
-
 over 700,000 children live in
orphanages, ranging in age from newborns to 17 year
olds, with another 1.2 million living on the streets
-
less than 8,000 orphans are adopted by
Russians each year, and adoption continues to carry a stigma there
-
an orphan's average
life expectancy is less than 30 years
-
at age 16, children are
forced to leave the orphanages (emancipated) with little or no formal schooling, very limited life
skills, and no one to turn to for assistance
-
within the first year of leaving the
orphanage, over 50% are involved in prostitution or crime, another 30% are
addicted to drugs or alcohol, and another 10% commit suicide
-
according to a PBS
special, of all the children now in Russian orphanages, 83% will be dead by
the time the youngest is 23 years old
-
 many of the children start smoking
around the age of 12 or 13 (cigarettes are 4 packs for $1)
-
abuse occurs in the orphanages,
often by older kids
-
orphanages lack the funds to buy the
most basic needs--medical supplies, adequate food, nutritional supplements
(fruits and vegetables are almost non-existent for many months), and winter
clothing
-
many of the workers at the orphanages
are paid very little, and they often go for weeks without pay
-
medical and dental
care for orphans is almost non-existent
|
