A resident of the Orshansky district was reunited with her daughter after a five-month separation.
Child protection is one of the most important tasks of the state. In the Republic of Belarus, a number of obligations that parents must fulfill in relation to their children are enshrined at the legislative level. In case of non-compliance, state authorities apply measures of influence.
For example, to protect minors from negligent parents, guardianship authorities remove them from their families and send them to a social-pedagogical center or to foster families, but for no more than six months. Mothers and fathers have time to change their lifestyle and return their children to the family: to get a job, undergo treatment for alcohol dependence, stop leading an antisocial lifestyle. Prevention of family dysfunction, preventing the death of children from external causes, and preventing offenses and crimes among minors are issues that are under constant control of the commission for juvenile affairs of the Orsha district executive committee.
In the Orsha district, the commission consists of 18 people. Its members include representatives of the internal affairs department, health care, education, labor, employment and social protection, BRSM, and other state bodies and institutions. These are caring people who are able to empathize and provide necessary assistance and support to minors and their parents. The commission is headed by the deputy chairman of the Orsha district executive committee Anastasia Prokofyeva.
– Meetings are held weekly, sometimes we review up to 50 materials related to neglect, offenses and crimes committed by minors, issues of family dysfunction, – said Anastasia Adamovna. – The commission has to make various but very responsible decisions: another warning or removal of children from the family, recognizing them as in need of state protection, sending documents to court for consideration of the issue of deprivation of parental rights.
A journalist from the "Arshanskaya Gazeta" attended one of these meetings and saw how difficult the decisions that commission members have to make can be.
This time, one of the questions concerned the removal of children from their parents. Unfortunately, the reasons are typical for a family where adults abuse alcoholic beverages: the living conditions are extremely unsatisfactory, the yard is cluttered, there is a lack of food, the children's clothing and bedding are dirty and worn out, and the minors are deprived of the opportunity to carry out basic hygiene procedures; the family is essentially living off the pension of a disabled child.
Commission members always try to meet parents halfway if they see that they are taking steps towards their correction. Unfortunately, this does not happen very often. And this time, the commission decided to send a petition to the court for the deprivation of parental rights. The minors can be assured: they are already being raised in a foster family where excellent conditions have been created for them. And the parents of three children made their choice, and it turned out to be not in favor of the family hearth.
But there are also stories with a different ending. For example, a resident of the Orsha district was reunited with her daughter after a five-month separation. This decision was made unanimously by the members of the juvenile affairs commission. The woman followed all the recommendations: she underwent treatment for alcohol dependence, established and maintains order in the house, and has a sufficient supply of food. There are also no complaints from her employer. Throughout these months, the mother stayed in touch with her child: she called, visited, and inquired about her health, studies, and affairs.
– This is a lesson for me for life. My daughter and I have gone through a very difficult path, we have experienced a lot. Now everything will be fine for us. I promise. Thank you all for your support and help, – the woman thanked the commission members with tears in her eyes.
Of course, the control over the family will continue, and we really hope that such separations will not happen again.
– There are no perfect children and parents – we all make mistakes. But thanks to love, care, and joint problem-solving, we can protect children from life's hardships and give them a happy childhood in a family, – emphasized Anastasia Prokofyeva.
Vadim KRAVCHENKO.
Photo by the author.