In Ukraine estimated over 98 thousand orphans

In Ukraine state and foster care estimated over 98 thousand orphans and children deprived of care

The Ukraine presidential Commissioner for children’s rights Yuriy Pavlenko said that in Ukraine there are over 98 thousand children-orphans and children deprived of parental care.

He said this at a press conference.

“As of this year, children-orphans and children deprived of parental care in Ukraine 98.000 children. Since 2008, the number of orphans and children deprived of parental care in Ukraine are declining”, – said Pavlenko.

He noted that the highest peak of this index was in 2007, when in Ukraine there were 103 thousand children in these categories.

Children’s Ombudsman of Ukraine reported that of 98 thousand 63 thousand children are brought up under state custody, that is, in the families of relatives and friends, and 9,5 thousand children are brought up in foster homes and orphanages of family type.

“However, more than 16 thousand children are now in boarding schools, 28 thousand children are in the national database for adoption, for domestic adoption and international adoption i.e. 28 thousand of children are waiting for adoption today in Ukraine,” – said Pavlenko.

According to him, of these 28 thousand age more than 6 years have 26 thousand children.

“You can say that in Ukraine adoption almost every child under 3 years of age is adopted immediately, but there is a big problem in Ukraine with adoption of children older than 6 years”, – said Pavlenko.

He added that there had been growth in the number of children older than 6 years who are adopted in Ukraine, however, in 2011, only 19 children older than 6 years were adopted domestically.

Pavlenko stressed that not every child having the status of orphan or child deprived of parental care, according to Ukraine legislation, therefore not everyone in orphanage can be adopted.

According to Pavlenko, only about a third of these children can be adopted according to the current adoption law in Ukraine, and their cases can be put through domestic adoption or and international adoption process   and in cases other children there are circumstances that do not permit for the adoption process to be started.

He explained that, according to the Ukraine adoption legislation, there are circumstances that makes it impossible to make a decision about the adoption of a child for both domestic adoption nor international adoptions.

In addition, he said that since the beginning of 2011 about 10 thousand children have been orphaned or deprived of parental care, of which more than 3 thousand were placed with residential institution as the new form of Ukraine adoption domestically.

Pavlenko also said that in 2010-2011 there was reducing the number of children, who were are adopted by Ukrainian citizens through domestic adoption, number of foreign adoptive families on a contrary is on the rise through the process of international adoption in Ukraine.

We shall remind everyone that, previous Prime Minister Mykola Azarov considers the care of children left without parental care, the priority of state policy.