The State Duma is concerned about the rights of Russian children adopted by foreign citizens.
"Although certain measures are being taken, the problem of state control over the observance of the rights and interests of children adopted by foreign nationals remains very acute," said the Duma's inquiry.
Foreign citizens adopt about 7,000 Russian children every year. The figure has increased by nearly 50% over the past three years.
Russia's Family Code does not allow intermediaries to be involved in adoptions. However, there are agencies that provide illegal intermediary services in this sphere in Russia. (The Nadezhda Fratti case is one of the latest adoption scandals in Russia.) The Duma members indicated that the Russian Education Ministry had accredited such foreign agencies without the Foreign Ministry's approval.
The Duma also pointed to the mergers between foreign adoption agencies' Russian representations with Russian charities, which instead of providing aid to orphanages selected children and their future parents.
Such agencies thereby infringed on Russian citizens' right of priority in adopting children. In 2003, for example, the number of children adopted by foreigners surpassed the number of children adopted by Russians.
The deputies are particularly concerned about the rights and interests of adopted children abroad. Adopted children's rights are continuously abused. There are cases when children who were adopted in Russia were killed by their new American parents, which is totally unacceptable.
