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One area where there’s no room for rhetoric or for false attempts at being politically correct is the area of international adoptions and the welfare of the smallest and most defenceless individuals amongst us. We have seen this many times before in case after case of Russian orphans and adoptees suffering abuse, and even death, at the hands of their American adoptive parents. Time and time again, in almost every aspect of Russian-Western relations, we’ve seen anti-Russian hysteria and pseudo-political correctness raise its ugly head. It’s something that many are used to, and something that more and more Westerners are beginning to notice.
Recently, the RF Children’s Rights Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov and Russian Human Rights Envoy Konstantin Dolgov attempted to visit a “ranch” for adopted children located in Eureka in remote north-western Montana {it’s a tiny hamlet of only about a thousand people near the Canadian border: editor}. The purpose of the visit was to check on the welfare of the ten Russian adoptees that reportedly were at the ranch, who were removed shortly before Mr Astakhov’s visit, according to RIA-Novosti. On his official website, Mr Astakhov, who’s diligently fought for the rights of Russian children worldwide, stated the following, “The very fact of the children being there is shocking. What is it, a pre-trial detention facility? A penal colony? Or, is it a dustbin for unwanted children? These children are completely isolated from the outside world, which is a violation of their rights. It hasn’t been made clear to us whether the children receive the help and care they need, which is why the condition of the Russian kids at the ranch causes concerns”.
Were the children from any other country, the Americans would grant these concerns the level of respect they deserve, especially when the safety and welfare of children are at their core, and they would’ve done everything to ensure that a proper investigation of the queries ensued. Sadly, this didn’t occur. Instead, the pseudo-politically correct American mass media machine began an onslaught, not on the ranch’s owner, one Joyce Sterkel, but on Mr Astakhov and the group of Russian government officials that travelled with him. The AP published a huge piece of more than three pages in length full of anti-Russian quotes by Sterkel, which aren’t worth repeating here, with almost nothing about the children or Mr Astakhov’s concerns, even referring to the ombudsman as “one of them”. Six days later, the AP published a mere seven sentences regarding the illegality of Ms Sterkel’s ranch, which hasn’t had a license to operate since 2010, was ordered closed, and where inspectors aren’t allowed. Other problems at the ranch include a failure to show the structures on the ranch meet the building code, no disaster plan, and no background checks on employees.
Again, nowhere do you find stories about the children in question or their welfare. For the American media… they aren’t even a side issue. It’s as if they don’t exist. Sterkel hasn’t only denied Russian inspectors entry onto her so-called ranch, but also denied the Montana state board any information about the children at the ranch, according to board attorney Mary Tapper. Statements in the American press regarding sovereignty, intrusion, and privacy rights have no place in a dialogue involving the safety and welfare of children, whatever their origin. However, the USA is a country where, in many cases, pseudo-political correctness comes first and the rights and safety of children come second. Rev Peter Mullen in his blog on the Mail Online put it well when describing the influence of political correctness on adoptions in the Western system, “The scandal is that our Mephistophelian ‘caring institutions’ would rather a child be aborted than that the mother should give birth and so present them with all these tiresome pseudo-problems derived entirely from political correctness”.
Having lived in both Russia and the USA for decades, I can honestly say that any Russian travelling to the USA would be shocked at the number of stories and cases of child abuse and atrocities against children that exist in the USA and that no one hears about in the filtered international American media. The American culture of death, sex, violence, hypocrisy, and perversion is often reflected in the horrors that children become the victims of. The record shows, with regard to Russian orphans, that the controls that exist for other orphans are just not there and that many adoptive parents feel that because they somehow “rescued” the children from some “terrible” faraway place they can do whatever they want to the children with impunity. As for Russia, and I can say this honestly, with the insight of an educator, the respect for children is much higher than in the USA, and the level of crimes and cases of inhumane acts against children are so much lower as to almost be non-existent, if one compares them to the USA. In the better part of two decades here, there have been fewer than a dozen high profile cases of crimes against children. Once again, I can’t help but compare the almost daily onslaught in the American media of cases of child abuse, kidnappings, child murders, and paedophilia.
Joyce Sterkel didn’t allow the Russian delegation to inspect the facility in question, nor did she provide the Board of Private Alternative Adolescent Residential and Outdoor Programs any information about the children. She also removed the children from the premises before Mr Astakhov arrived. What was she so afraid might be discovered? Moreover, what’s really going on at the isolated and remote Deep Springs Ranch for Kids? The pseudo-politically correct American establishment might have a problem asking those questions, but I don’t, and for the sake of the children, we must answer them.
20 July 2012
John Robles
Voice of Russia World Service
http://english.ruvr.ru/2012_07_20/Pseudo-political-correctness-Western-style-and-Russian-orphans/
Editor’s Note:
In connection with child abuse, I’d like to compliment Mel and Cappy at Pokrov.org… they’ve done a hell of lot of truth-telling, and they’ve got the scars from the goodthinkers to prove it. Some of the Monomorons are ranting that the Holy Synod’s statement that JP was sheltering a rapist are false. Well… put up or shut up, guys. If you have “proof” that the Holy Synod’s lying… take it to court. That’s defamation and libel in anyone’s book, if what you say is true. I’ll confide something, though… the allegation’s specious, but the Synod can’t move against the perps because they’re all cowards hiding behind usernames. I’ll say this… agree with me or not, I’ve got the moxie to put my name (or my initials) to my posts and comments. The Monomorons don’t… that tells you that nothing on that site is worth attending to.
Only trust those who sign their names to their posts… otherwise, shitcan anything coming from an “anonymous” source. They won’t stand up and be counted… so, you don’t have to believe a word that they say. That’s what I believe…
BMD
Voices from Russia 
RF Gosduma Ratifies Child Abuse Convention
Tags: Child abuse, Child pornography, Child Welfare, children, Children and Youth, children's rights, Convention on the Rights of the Child, Council of Europe, Internet Crimes Against Children, Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children Child Prostitution and Child Pornography, paedophilia, Pedophilia, political commentary, politics, Prostitution of children, Russia, Russian, Sexual exploitation and abuse in humanitarian response, UN, UN General Assembly, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, United States, USA
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On Friday, The RF Gosduma approved Russia’s accession to the Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. The convention opened for signing in 2007, and it came into force on 1 July 2010. Russia signed the convention in 2012. To date, 46 states have signed and 26 states have ratified the convention, which sets out international standards for protecting children against sexual exploitation and abuse. The Gosduma also ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution, and Child Pornography. The UN General Assembly adopted the protocol on 25 May 2000. Russia signed the protocol in 2012. According to the protocol, the signatory countries must stipulate criminal, civil, or administrative penalties for selling children for sexual exploitation, organ transfers for profit, or forced labour, as well as for improperly inducing consent, as an intermediary, to a child’s adoption in violation of the applicable international legal instruments on adoption. These offenses include offering, obtaining, procuring, or providing a child for child prostitution and producing, distributing, disseminating, importing, exporting, offering, selling, or possessing child pornography.
26 April 2013
RIA-Novosti
http://en.rian.ru/russia/20130426/180862132/Duma-Ratifies-Child-Abuse-Convention.html
Editor’s Note:
The USA added the following caveat to the Protocol upon its ratification of the instrument in 2002:
That is, the Bush Administration and the Republican Party stated baldly that the ratification of the Protocol added NO additional protection for American children. Sexual predators have “rights”, dontcha know! That’s what “freedom” means for the GOP… along with predatory buccaneer crapitalism, toothless labour laws, mind-boggling greed, and the lightest of tax burdens upon the rich. If you vote for such, that’s what you vote for, full stop. It puts a new face on the posturing moralisers (especially, the smarmy self-righteous Evangelicals), doesn’t it? None dare call it evil… especially, not the well-paid and bovine American news media…
BMD