Hi! This is D., a journalist with "Verstka." In May, when I was writing a piece based on the results of our resear...

Hi! This is D., a journalist with "Verstka." In May, when I was writing a piece based on the results of our research on violence against children, I was watching the series "The Testaments."

If you don’t know it, it’s a sequel to "The Handmaid’s Tale" about the fictional religious country of Gilead. It is a place where children grow up being constantly protected from something: foreign values, foreign toys, sex before marriage. And not protected from what is truly страшное — violence.

Yes, you understood my point. Of course I was thinking about Russia when I watched the series. And let’s admit it, it seems all totalitarian states, even fictional ones, are similar in how they treat violence.

The Russian state, especially in recent years, loudly talks about children as its top priority. The authorities want there to be more children and for them to be protected. Wonderful! But protected from what?

The research I worked on together with colleagues and scholars from the University of Helsinki showed that the most common punishment for violence against children is a fine of 5,000 rubles. Criminal cases involving serious violence are routinely terminated in court.

Children remain living in families where they are beaten because judges exempt parents from punishment. Caregivers and teachers often know about the violence and stay silent. There is no prevention, no protective orders, and the state does not perceive a child as a separate individual. For the Russian state, a child is not so much an independent person as a rightless part of the family. And violence, apparently, is a family matter.

It isn’t easy for me to urge you to read this research, there are many horrifying stories in it, but if what I’m writing is somehow unexpected to you, follow the link. We made a lot of infographics so it would be easier for you to find your way around.

Thank you for staying with us!

Read the research text on the "Verstka" website (with VPN):

Link not working? Read here.

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Verstka

How Russia Tries Cases of Violence Against Children: Verstka’s Special Project

The state calls children a policy priority, but cannot protect them from violence