Yesterday a source in the government described these proposals as very constructive, saying, "The letter arranges puts everything in order and the proposals are, in a good sense, pragmatic." The proposal is expected to be considered within two weeks.
Children's rights defenders strongly oppose the idea of bilateral treaties. In the United States, Canada and Germany adoption is regulation by state laws, explains Boris Altshuler, head of the Child's Right organization. The proposed legislation will immediately stop adoption in the countries that admit the most orphans, including disabled children, whom no one in Russia needs, he says.
Ella Pamfilova, chairman of the presidential council to develop civil society institutions and human rights, says, "The country does not have systematic and judicial grounds to protect children's rights." In her opinion, the mediators who help foreign parents to find children and prepare documents need to be licensed, while the adopting families can be controlled not only using bilateral agreements, but also by other inter-government agreements, such as the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption. The president signed the latter in 2000, but parliament is yet to ratify it.
