Report from Murmansk

Omega contributes to Save the Children’s work in Russia, and this is the latest report from their important work in the Murmansk region.

A typical two-person cell shared by two kids in Remand Prison 2 in Apatity. (Photo: Save the Children)

A boy shows his cell in Remand Prison 2 to employees at our Murmansk office. (Photo: Save the Children)

Watching an educational video. (Photo: Save the Children)

Omega is supporting Save the Children’s work in Russia to protect the rights of street children in cities such as Murmansk, Apatity, Arkangelsk , Nikel and Sevoromorsk. Parts of this work are focusing on improving the conditions of children in custody in this area, both by improving the living conditions and ensuring the children’s right to an education.

More than one million children below the age of criminal responsibility are currently in custody in Russia, under censurable conditions. Children as young as 14 years old are put in custody while waiting for their trial. According to Russian laws, children who are suspected or charged with a serious crime or repeated crimes are also required to be held in custody while awaiting trial. The prison conditions for minors in Russia can be described as cruel, inhuman and degrading. 10 m² cells with poor sanitary conditions are used for up to four prisoners at a time. The food being served has low nutrient content and the children have few opportunities to get active or go to school. Both Russian and international voluntary organisations have on numerous occasions criticized the treatment of the prisoners.

An important goal for Save the Children is that these vulnerable children may be treated with dignity and respect, while giving them the chance to go to school. Save the Children is working to influence the government into establishing a court for minors, so that the children’s rights are protected in the judicial system.

Save the Children has its Russian office in Murmansk. The local government has registered 1851 people under the age of 18 in conflict with the law, 409 of whom are under the age of 13. Children in the Murmansk area are incarcerated either in Remand Prison 1 in Murmansk or Remand Prison 2 in Apatity. In 2007, these two prisons had 95 children in their cells. As part of the effort mentioned above, Save the Children’s office in Murmansk has joined forces with the prison authorities to ensure that the prison conditions are kept to the highest standard possible, and that the children’s rights are upheld.

When starting up the project in Apatity, the children in the Remand Prisons were asked to fill out a questionnaire to find out what would make their lives in prison better. The suggestions submitted in the questionnaires were included in the project carried through in 2007 and 2008; “Bettering the life situation for imprisoned children in Apatity”. Here are some of the most important measures that were taken:

• Upgrading the cells to a level satisfying national and international standards, by, among other things, installing hot water and better ventilation
• Setting up a separate room for teaching, equipped with desks, necessary educational material and technical equipment. Three times per week, professional teachers now have History, Russian, English, Literature, Biology, Algebra, Geometry, Chemistry and Physics classes for the inmates. They also have recreational activities available, such as computer games.
• Courses have been established for the employees, giving them important knowledge on things like psychosocial follow-up and treatment of addictions among minor inmates.
• Establishing a recreational room where the children can speak to psychologists and participate in group conversations on the road back to society. There are also monthly meetings on the dangers of alcohol, drug and tobacco addiction.
• Teenagers receive vaccines and vitamins.
• Information is handed out about the spread of Aids and HIV.
• Courses are held for staff and inmates about children’s rights. All minors receive a folder on UNICEF’s ‘Convention on the Rights of the Child’ when placed in custody.
• Expanding on the cultural and physical activities for the children. An outdoor sports area has been built, where the children play football, basketball and volleyball. On the children’s initiative the prison has drawing contests where the winners are put on display. Birthday parties are held, as well as quizzes on topics like Russian literature. There are computer game tournaments as a way of rewarding the most active and hard-working children. Save the Children has also bought board games, chess and dominoes, as well as footballs and table tennis equipment.
• In addition to all the activities mentioned above, the children are encouraged to write poems as a means of reducing aggression. Below you can read one of the poems, that show how these children have a strong need for help and care, and displays their hope of getting their life back on the right track:

Through the bars of my cell I’m watching the night
And cannot fall asleep because of feeble light
I hate those many faces that has my life
And there is no more strength to stay alive.

My sorrow griefly cuts my heart,
I’m shivering with cold and cannot recollect myself
There is nothing I’m attached to in this life
But still it’s only you why I’m alive

So far, the children have participated in the education with much delight. It is a great opportunity to learn new things, as well as having the chance to come out of their cell and speak to responsible adults. Many of the kids are experiencing vastly better results in school now, than they did outside prison.

Finally, we would like to thank the employees of Omega, who contribute to making this possible. Save the Children work to initiate projects that hopefully will show the government how to fulfil children’s rights, so that they, in turn, may do that in a responsible way in the future.