Abuse in Russian Orphanages

Today I learned about the abuse in Russian orphanages due to a story reported today on the news. I am so upset by this that I have actually cried about it. This is really awful. Think of what the money that went to Iraq and this stupid pointless war could have done for these children...

Russian prosecutors said Thursday, February 1st, 2007 that they are investigating allegations that workers at a central Russian hospital taped infants' mouths shut to keep them from crying. The alleged mouth-taping at Hospital No. 15 in the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg, about 900 miles east of Moscow, has received wide coverage in the Russian media.

According to a statement posted on the prosecutor general's Web site, investigators found that hospital workers allegedly used tape or adhesive bandages to shut the mouths of infants on several occasions to quiet them.
Earlier this week, Russian TV broadcast video reportedly taken with a cell phone that showed a crib with sleeping baby who appeared to have a pacifier taped to its mouth.
The Interfax news agency on Tuesday reported that Yekaterinburg city health officials had reprimanded the hospital's chief doctor and its chief nurse. This whole incident should serve as an eye opener to the large problem of abuse in Russia’s orphanage system.

The orphanage system in Russia is overwhelmed by the size of the problem, lack of funding and is not prepared to meet the needs of the 700,000 children presently living in its orphanages. From birth, the infants at these orphanages experience the harsh realities of overpopulated, understaffed orphanages run by poorly trained administrators. These circumstances culminate into sensory deprivation and abuse. Thus, a mass population of children with mental retardation and developmental disabilities emerges. Often these children are never able to walk, talk or interact with others. The hope of ever being adopted is never realized by these children as they are shipped off to asylums and mental health facilities. Research shows that many orphans are malnourished and develop chronic diseases due to a lack of medical care and proper clothing. Most of the orphanages lack basic medicine, medical supplies, medical equipment and personal hygiene items. Most of the schools in the orphanages have very limited supplies. Many children share textbooks, and most children receive only one writing tablet for the year. Today in Russia's orphanages, over 80% of the children fall at least two or more years behind in school by the age of 12.

Most orphans are institutionalized an average of 10 years. As a result of being constantly in a group, fed, housed, told what to do and when to do it, they have great difficulty successfully integrating into a society that expects people to know how to act independently and responsibly. With very limited knowledge of how to live independently, young adults graduating from the orphanage system easily fall victim or become perpetrators of crime, prostitution and vagrancy. Russian federal government statistics indicate that in their very first year of emancipation more than 50% are in a life of crime or prostitution, 20% are actually in jail and 10% commit suicide.
I took the time to check into other such incidents on the internet. It is amazing how much comes up when you google “Russian Orphanages AND Abuse” The atrocities that take place in these so called “safe havens” are horrifying- wiring a metal bed to electricity and shocking a child forced to lie on it, squeezing their hands in a vise, throwing them out a window in a wooden chest. The list unfortunately goes on. The Human Rights Watch has published an interesting and heart-sickening article on the abuse in the Russian orphanages.
http://hrw.org/reports98/russia2/Russ98d-08.htm
The psychological and even corporal effects of these practices are just so scary to think about. It is no wonder to me that the statistics show that 50% of these orphans become criminals and 10% commit suicide. They have learned that their lives are fairly worthless so what is to make them feel worthwhile? Only 20% of these kids come out of the institutions and live “normal” lives.
I look into the eyes of my children and all I feel is love and the desire to make them feel loved, safe and happy. I could never harm them intentionally. WHO are these monsters that are being allowed to “care” for these orphans? All I can think about RIGHT NOW is how can we help these children?
There are several organizations that help- here are a few:

www.andorc.org ANDORC- The Association for Nurturing the Development of Orphaned Russian Children

www.iOrphan.org - iOrphan.org is a non-profit corporation that spends 100% of its donations feeding and providing daily necessities to the orphaned and homeless children of Russia and the former Soviet Bloc.

http://www.ifrc.org/helpnow/
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies is the world's largest humanitarian organization, with 185 member National Societies. All our work is guided by seven fundamental principles; humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality.