Official representative of the Investigative CommitteeVladimir Markin shared statistics, according to which a large number of crimes against sexual integrity occur in orphanages. In his opinion, “children from orphanages are the most vulnerable and least socially protected category of citizens.” Markin stressed that in 2013, about 200 children’s homes were recognized as victims in criminal cases.
“Fifteen percent of them suffered as a result of crimes against sexual integrity. How else, if not egregious, should we consider the fact that crimes in this area occupy the first place in statistics among crimes against children in orphanages, ” the official representative of the IC of Russia said.
According to Markin, senior pupils and even employees of institutions are often suspected and even accused of committing these crimes, among others. He also added that the agency will continue to work in the future, aimed at identifying and bringing to justice all persons, without exception, from whose hands children suffer.
A former employee of one of the Moscow orphanages, a teacher with 30 years of experienceValentina Vasyaeva believes that in Soviet times, an extraordinary phenomenon was early pregnancy among children in orphanages, not to mention violence.
“Of course, we received children from different families. Including those where sexual harassment by adults has occurred. But it is impossible for such a thing to happen in the boarding school itself. Of course, children from families where such things happened are an extremely difficult psychological category. But here specialists were already involved in the work. In addition, orphanages are under the constant control of the prosecutor’s Office, the guardianship authorities. And we did not take just anyone as employees of the institution. Mr. Markin has voiced something, but the situation may well be exaggerated, ” she said.
The head of the Charity Fund for the Prevention of Social Orphanhood, Alexandra Marova, believes that such crimes are latent, and a lot is hidden from law enforcement agencies.
“Everyone talks about the facts of sexual violence in orphanages, but I think that the number of cases of domestic violence is not less, or even more. This does not mean that we should not monitor the situation in boarding schools. On the contrary, it is necessary to strengthen control (including public control), to conduct a thorough selection of employees (namely, to develop professional standards). It is also necessary to work with children, to help them survive psychological trauma. And life in the conditions of the barracks results in deviant forms of behavior.”