WRITTEN QUESTION No. 14/99 by Anna KARAMANOU to the Commission. Miserable treatment of orphans in Russia and inhuman conditions in orphanages
Date: 1999-01-12
Institutions: European Parliament, KARAMANOU
Subjects: Russia, child protection, cruel and degrading treatment, food aid, human rights, humanitarian aid, living conditions, non-governmental organisation, orphan

C 207/166

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

21.7.1999

before the operations took place. Can the Commission, as guardian of the Treaties, confirm or deny this
assertion? Should it be confirmed, what measures does the Commission propose to take?

Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission

(24 February 1999)

The Commission regards this mainly as a matter for the Council, under the common foreign and security
policy (CFSP).

The Commission is fully involved in the CFSP, and would refer you to the Union’s statement on Iraq, published
on 9 November 1998, and to the statement by the Foreign Minister of Austria, which held the presidency of
the Council at the time, made on 21 December 1998.

(1999/C 207/231)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-0014/99

by Anna Karamanou (PSE) to the Commission

(12 January 1999)

Subject: Miserable treatment of orphans in Russia and inhuman conditions in orphanages

According to a recent publication by Human Rights Watch there are more than 600 000 orphans in Russia,
one third of whom end up in institutions and orphanages where conditions are harsh and inhuman, they are
beaten and frequently victims of sexual abuse.

These appalling conditions mean that, at the very best, even normal children become mentally retarded. Where
children rebel against this miserable treatment, they are categorised as ‘recidivists’ and treated like dissidents in
the former Soviet Union. According to the Russian Prosecutor-General’s Office, of the 15 000 young people
who leave orphanages each year 5 000 are unemployed, 6 000 have no fixed address, 3 000 resort to crime
and 1 500 commit suicide!

Will the Commissions say what action it intends to take to ensure that the human rights of such children are
protected and that conditions in Russian orphanages are made more humane?

Answer given by Mr van den Broek on behalf of the Commission

(5 February 1999)

The Commission shares the concern of the Honourable Member about protecting human rights in Russia and
more specifically about the situation in orphanages. Human rights issues are regularly raised at top level with
the Russian authorities in the context of the ongoing political dialogue between the Community and Russia.
Through the ECHO programme, the Commission provided some 53 millions euro of humanitarian assistance
in the 1994-1998 period, typically targeted at vulnerable groups including children living in orphanages and
prisoners suffering from tuberculosis. However, a general problem, given the size of Russia, is the relative lack
of reliable non governmental organisations (NGOs) to help identify needs and deliver such assistance and the
often difficult official procedures and regulations. Nevertheless, the Commission will continue with its
humanitarian assistance efforts. The Commission is also about to launch a sizeable food aid programme
targeted at especially vulnerable regions.