A meeting of the Advisory Council of the Russia’s Investigative Committee on help to orphans and abandoned children has taken place today in the Investigative Committee. It was attended by advisory to the Prosecutor General Alexander Sukharev, Vice-Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly Lyudmila Shvetsova, Vice-Chairman of the Council of the “Union of investigation veterans” Vladimir Dontsov, Honored Artist of the Russian Federation Alexander Marshall, leader of the all-Russian NGO the “War invalids” Andrey Chepurnoy, personnel of the Central Office of the Russia’s Investigative Committee and representatives of social facilities in the number of regions. The agenda included counteraction to criminal taking away housing from such children.
In his welcoming speech, Chairman of the Russia’s Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin noted: “It is obvious for all of us that observance of housing rights of orphans and abandoned children is a priority now as they on coming of age or after graduation from the specialized educational facilities not having any place to live often stay at children’s homes till 20 years of age and more. When they are thrown to the street without their own homes they are subject to sexual abuse, they are being kidnapped, got involved in criminal groups or killed. Over 6 months of current year alone the investigating bodies of the Russia’s Investigative Committee have investigated over 8.5 thousand (8,735) crimes committed against underage. Among them are 240 murders, 773 rapes and over 2,000 acts of sexual abuse.”
The Federal Law providing for each subject to make a special fund of housing for orphans and abandoned children entered into force on 1 January 2013. Huge sums of money from the country’s budget are allocated for such funds and the task of the Investigative Committee is to prevent them from being stolen or misappropriated. “We are going to do that in close cooperation with the prosecutor’s office,” – pointed out Mr. Bastrykin.
At her speech Olga Kulikova, the head of the office for procedural control over investigation of criminal cases in the federal districts, noted that: “The investigative Committee in 2012 and the first half of 2013 alone has launched 29 criminal investigations into negligence and abuse of power of officials, who are to blame for making orphans homeless.” Those criminal cases were started in the Chuvash Republic, Krasnodar Territory, Kostroma and Yaroslavl Regions and other regions.
To prevent frauds and swindles with housing meant for the orphans, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee offered to secure as a necessary condition in concluding a housing purchase agreement the receipt of the housing evaluation commission of the housing fund in the subject of the Russian Federation acknowledging such housing fit for living in. Mr. Bstrykin also stressed that: “A principle of longevity has to be put in the basis of such a decision. The housing should be separated, comfortable not only when it is being purchased, but during at least 15 years since the day of its production.”
The Members of the Advisory Council expressed a number of proposals on improvement of legislation on federal and regional levels. Mr. Bstrykin also addressed the Vice-Chairman of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly Lyudmila Shvetsova with the offer to uphold the initiatives of the Russia’s Investigative Committee about improvement in legislation expressed at the meeting. The decision was made to prepare and forward to the Prosecutor General’s Office a number of proposals on the work jointly with investigating bodies, directed on returning the housing lost due to criminal activity to orphans.
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