Center for Civil Society International ([email protected])
Fri, 1 Nov 1996 16:11:45 -0800 (PST)
CCSI presents excerpts from the Agency for Social Information (ASI) e-mail
information bulletin. Translated from Russian by CCSI volunteer Tom
Sorenson, J.D., Ph.D., Attorney at Law, Edmonds, Washington, USA.. For
more information on how to receive ASI' s bulletin regularly, contact:
**************************************************************************
AGENTSTVO SOTSIALNOI INFORMATSII
Kutuzovskyi pr. 22 pod. 14a,
Moscow, 121151
Tel./fax: (095) 249-3989
E-mail: [email protected]
**************************************************************************
N 43
October 22-28, 1996
I
The State Should Bear Responsibility for the Health of its Citizens
In the opinion of the physicians, scholars, representatives of
governmental entities and of society who gathered on October 23 at a round
table titled "The Health of Society and the Future of Russia" organized by
the club "Realists," the condition of Russians' health today is close to
catastrophic. According to the data presented in his report by the deputy
of the ministry of public health of the Russian Federation V. I.
Starodubov, in recent times there has taken place in our country a
worsening of a series of demographic indicators.
In 1995, in comparison with previous years the birth rate in the country
was sharply reduced and stands at 9.3 per thousand. Thus, given a death
rate of 17 percent the natural loss of population stood at 800-900,000
people out of a population of 148 million. The main causes of death are
accidents, heart and vascular diseases, and cancer. In 1995 in Russia
672,000 people of working age died, and the trend toward reduction of the
number of the active population and a lowering of the birth rate has
strengthened over time. According to Mr. Starodubov, all of these
processes are directly tied to the worsening of the socioeconomic
situation and the lowering of the standard of living.
Doctors maintain that it is hardly possible to call the new generation
healthy. At the present time in Moscow 50% of youth of military age are
unfit for military duty, and only 15% of school graduates can be called
healthy. This results not only from the low standard of living (half of
the 4.5 million children aged up to 2 years do not receive adequate
nutrition), but from the psychological conditions in which young Russians
grow up. According to statistics from recent years, 675,000 of every
1,075,000 marriages end in divorce. Drug abuse and alcoholism are wide
spread among youth, and the number of sexually transmitted diseases and
crimes is growing. There are 186 crimes annually per 10,000 inhabitants
of Russia, but 242 crimes per 10,000 youth.
From the point of view of those gathered [at the round table], only the
state can provide real help in the solution of this and many other
problems, and it should take responsibility for the health of its
citizens. In this connection academician of the Russian Academy of
Sciences and member of the Pirogov Association of Medical Workers B. V.
Petrovskii stated: "We must turn the attention of the government of our
country to medicine, because if the leaders have nothing to say about
medicine they do no t respect their own people."
II
40 Million Russians May Receive Humanitarian Assistance
Through the Russian Red Cross
On October 22, the General Secretary of the International Red Cross
Federation Mr. George Weber, in Moscow on a visit, met with
representatives of the government, in particular, with Deputy Prime
Minister V. Iliushin. The visit was made possible by the Order of
Russian Federation President B. N. Yeltsin "On State Support for the
Russian Red Cross."
Thanks to its unique relationship to the organs of state power, the Red
Cross can be called neither an intergovernmental, a nongovernmental, nor
a charitable organization whether on the international, state or local
level. The status of the Russian Red Cross has so far been undetermined
in Russian legislation. At the present time a draft law "On the Russian
Red Cross", which would regulate the relations between the government and
the Russian Red Cross, is being considered in the State Duma.
The Presidential order was an important step toward determining the legal
status of the Russian Red Cross. In addition, the order provides a
guarantee of payment of the RRC's obligation for dues to the International
Red Cross Federation (which for the yea rs 1994-1996 stood at 2,059,007
Swiss francs). The President's order and a decree of the government of
the Russian Federation provide for including the means necessary to pay
the yearly dues of the International Red Cross Federation beginning in
1997 in the federal budget.
In his presentation at a press conference Mr. Weber stated: "My visit
should remind the international community that the Russian Red Cross is an
important channel for providing humanitarian assistance to 40 million of
the more socially vulnerable residents of this country. Today it is
particularly important for the economic and political problems of Russia
not to forget or mask over her humanitarian needs."
Contact telephone of the Central Committee of the RRC: 126-5731
III
A Meeting of Russian and American Volunteers
Took Place October 27 at the Russian Information Agency "Novosti"
The meeting, which was organized by the volunteer center "Moscow House of
Charity" together with the organization "People to People" from the USA
was part of a visit of an American delegation in Moscow which began on
October 26. Volunteers from Moscow and their colleagues from abroad
discussed questions of the development of civil initiatives and
strengthening the position of the third sector in Russia.
The organization People to People was created in the US in 1956 at the
initiative of President Dwight Eisenhower, who became the first chairman
of its board. In creating the new charitable volunteer organization, Mr.
Eisenhower said that private persons who desire friendship with the
peoples of other countries can make a substantial contribution to the
cause of peace.
After Eisenhower, heading the board of People to People became a
presidential tradition. Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Ford, Reagan
and Bush have held this post. President Clinton now heads the
organization. Obviously, the presence of such names among the
participants of the organization raises it considerably in the eyes of
society and gives volunteerism a governmental character.
Visits to Russia by American volunteers were made possible thanks to the
new political situation in our country, and the Moscow House of Charity,
headed by Galina Bodrenkova has been one of the active organizers of such
visits. Thanks to MHC more than 200 American specialists from People to
People have participated in Russo-American projects and meetings with
Russian volunteers.
In the words of the head of the delegation, the basic goal of the current
visit is to meet with representatives of different social strata of the
population of Moscow. Members of the delegation are prepared to share
their work experience and knowledge with any volunteers, whether they are
deputies in parliament or workers, directors of schools or artists. In
addition, members of the delegation believe such meetings are useful to
them personally, as they provide greater familiarity with the culture and
history of Russia and better understanding of the present and future of
the young Russian democracy.
For their part, the representatives of MHC are prepared to do all they can
to provide the American volunteers with as much opportunity as possible
for contact with their Russian colleagues.
Contact telephone: 191-1473. Fax: 291-3041
IV.
"VOLGA DAYS 96" Gathers 300 Environmentalists of the Volga Region
The annual conference of environmentalists "Volga Days 96" held October
24-25 in Nizhnii Novgorod was better attended than ever. Representatives
of more than 90 social and governmental environmental organizations of the
Volga region and other regions of Russia and Europe met in the auditorium
of the Construction Academy. Nizhnii Novgorod governor Boris Nemtsov sent
his greetings to the conference participants.
Elena Kolpakova, the coordinator of the program "We Help the River" from
Nizhnii Novgorod and one of the chief organizers of the meeting remarked
in her greeting to the participants: "Our annual conference was grown
from an event of nongovernmental organizations only into a Volga
environmental forum. We must move even further from the opposition of
science and the state, of noncommercial organizations and the state."
Representatives of the environmental center "Front," of the state program
"Volga Renaissance" (Nizhnii Novgorod), the Russian branch of Greenpeace,
the Bavarian Green Party (Germany), the agency ISAR and other
organizations, for whom the fate of the main water arterial of Russia and
the ecology of the planet as a whole are matters of concern, made
presentations at the conference.
During the course of the conference an environmental protest occurred on
October 25 in the form of the delivery to the director of the state farm
"Russia" (Kstov region) of photographs of an enormous dump with signatures
on a letter demanding the liquidation of this dump.
At a press conference devoted to Volga Days, where, to the considerable
regret of the organizers there were few reporters, it was noted that today
environmental organizations, especially those recently created, face
problems of developing cooperation, exchanging experience and
information, and coordinating forces. The recently created Volga
Environmental Information Agency in Nizhnii Novgorod will help solve these
problems.
V.
The Volunteer Center "Moscow House of Charity" Forms Information Center
The information center "Moscow Help Line," the goal of which, according to
its organizers, is to "connect people in need of assistance with
volunteers and organizations who can provide this assistance through a
general dissemination of information," plans to begin its work in 1997.
Its work will be built on close cooperation between volunteers and
organizations that provide social services to the population.
The program is supported by USAID and the social protection committee of
the government of Moscow. The work of the Moscow help line will take into
account the three years of experience of the activity of the center
"Information and Assistance," which existed earlier at the Moscow House
of Charity.
The Moscow House of Charity invites the cooperation of interested
organizations and persons.
Contact telephone: 291-3041
VI.
Women at Risk
A consultation center for women who are victims of domestic violence
opened in St. Petersburg in May of this year. Most often the workers at
the center run into such problems as alcoholism and the relationship
between generations. The most common cause of conflicts is a shortage of
living space.
Two lawyers and two psychologists provide women in need with free
consultation and, if necessary, therapy. Four social workers help them
with administrative and legal matters.
"Women at Risk" is the first and only crisis center. Since its opening
600 women have already found help and support there. The center's
services are free, and the small amount contributed by the city budget
hardly covers the cost. All the rest [of the money] comes from private
contributions. There is a shortage of the most basic things--blankets and
pillows, sterile utensils�. For this reason, the center which was
supposed to house 30 people now can give shelter to only 8 women.
The staff of the center will appreciate any help�.
Contact telephone: (095) 293-0673 (Iulia Nikiforova, coordinator.)
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.0b3 on Sun May 23 1999 - 13:33:52 EDT