Omar Bennett
In 2020, the Russian Constitution was revised to include Article 67, which states that children are the most important priority of Russian state policy. This was followed by a decree from President Putin in November 2022, titled Foundations of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values. The decree asserts that the country's demographic situation is threatened by destructive ideological influence from external sources. However, critics argue that it is the war, mobilisation and emigration that have led to the demographic crisis, not supposed external influences. Despite the stated intention to protect children, there are concerns that Russia is not upholding children's rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. There have also been reports of children being tried in military courts and used as a tool of political indoctrination. Additionally, Russia has laws in place to protect children from harmful information, with the aim of avoiding the creation of improper images and viewing by children.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Article 67 of the Russian Constitution | "Children are the most important priority of Russian state policy" |
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What You'll Learn
- The Russian Constitution states that children are the most important priority of Russian state policy
- Russian authorities have been urged to respect and protect children's rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly
- The Russian government has been trying civilians, including children, in military courts
- Russia has a law aimed at protecting children from negative and harmful information
- Russia has banned propaganda in favour of childfree lifestyles
The Russian Constitution states that children are the most important priority of Russian state policy
In 2020, the Russian Constitution was revised to include Article 67, which states that "children are the most important priority of Russian state policy". This article was added to protect children from harmful information and to ensure that they are brought up with traditional Russian spiritual and moral values.
The Russian government has taken steps to protect children from what it considers to be "destructive ideological influence" from foreign states and organisations. This includes war propaganda and political indoctrination in schools, which has been criticised by human rights organisations such as Amnesty International. They have urged Russian authorities to respect and protect children's rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, and to ensure that these rights are enjoyed without fear of retribution.
The Russian government has also restricted or removed parental rights in some cases, placing children in state custody as punishment for their parents' actions or political beliefs. This has been a concern for human rights organisations, who argue that social services and children's rights commissioners should act in the best interests of children and comply with international human rights laws.
Overall, while the Russian Constitution does state that children are a priority, there are concerns about the ways in which this is being implemented and the potential impact on children's rights and well-being.
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Russian authorities have been urged to respect and protect children's rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly
Russia is a participating state in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), which upholds the rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. In 1990, in Copenhagen, all OSCE participating states reaffirmed that "everyone will have the right of peaceful assembly and demonstration". In 2008, in Helsinki, all participating states reaffirmed that "everyone has the right to freedom of association and peaceful assembly".
Despite these commitments, Russia has been criticised for restricting these freedoms. In 2021, the Commissioner for Human Rights expressed dismay at the detention of more than 5,000 demonstrators and dozens of journalists during large-scale protests, as well as the use of violence by Russian police against peaceful protesters. The U.S. Mission to the OSCE has also called on Russia to honour its commitments and stop arresting Russian citizens and elected leaders for espousing independent views, joining non-governmental organisations, and participating in peaceful gatherings.
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The Russian government has been trying civilians, including children, in military courts
In 2020, the Russian Constitution was revised to include Article 67, which states that "children are the most important priority of Russian state policy". However, in 2024, Amnesty International reported that the Russian authorities were targeting children in their anti-war dissent, urging the government to respect and protect children's rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. The organisation also called for an end to the practice of trying civilians, especially children, in military courts.
Russia is the only jurisdiction in the world that allows a jury of civilians to try criminal cases in military courts. This is a right that is not afforded to military personnel in countries with mature jury systems, such as the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom. In these countries, soldiers and officers of armed forces are tried either by a single professional military judge or a panel of officers and/or soldiers, known as a court-martial jury.
In Russia, military defendants may apply for trial by jury, and these juries are made up of civilians. This is a relatively new development, as historically, military juries in Russia were comprised of members of the armed forces.
Russia has used military courts to prosecute civilians accused of terrorism in Dagestan, and there have been concerns about a lack of transparency in these courts.
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Russia has a law aimed at protecting children from negative and harmful information
In November 2022, President Putin signed a decree titled "Foundations of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values". The decree asserts that the country's demographic situation is threatened by the "destructive ideological influence" exerted on Russian citizens by foreign states and organisations.
The law intends to avoid the creation of improper images and viewing by children, as parents and children are not able to defend themselves from receiving information that might hurt their psychological health.
However, critics argue that the Russian authorities are not doing enough to protect children's rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. Amnesty International has urged the Russian authorities to respect and protect these rights, ensuring that children can enjoy them without fear of retribution. They have also called on social services and children's rights commissioners to act in the best interests of children and comply with international human rights laws.
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Russia has banned propaganda in favour of childfree lifestyles
In 2020, Russian authorities made significant revisions to the Constitution, notably adding Article 67, which states that "children are the most important priority of Russian state policy". In November 2022, President Putin signed a decree titled "Foundations of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values". The decree asserts that the country’s demographic situation is threatened by the "destructive ideological influence" exerted on Russian citizens by foreign states and organisations.
In November 2024, the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian Parliament, approved a bill banning "propaganda in favour of a childfree lifestyle". The bill bans the dissemination of neutral or positive information about being childfree on the internet, in the media, films, and advertisements. The bill was promoted as a means to increase the country’s birthrate, which had slid to its lowest level in a quarter of a century. Individuals could be fined up to 400,000 rubles (about £3,000), while the figure rises to 5 million rubles for businesses or entities.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) expresses deep concern over the bill, stating that it represents a serious violation of freedom of expression and a direct threat to women’s sexual and reproductive rights. FIDH urges Parliament to stop this bill before its final adoption. Amnesty International has also urged the Russian authorities to respect and protect children’s rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly, ensuring these rights are enjoyed without fear of retribution.
In February 2025, a 29-year-old woman in Sevastopol was fined 50,000 rubles (about US$500) for promoting a child-free lifestyle on social media. It was the first penalty imposed under Russia’s recent ban on ‘propaganda of childlessness’.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, the Russian Constitution does protect children. In 2020, Russian authorities made significant revisions to the Constitution, notably adding Article 67, which states that "children are the most important priority of Russian state policy".
Article 67 of the Russian Constitution states that "children are the most important priority of Russian state policy".
In November 2022, President Putin signed a decree titled "Foundations of State Policy for the Preservation and Strengthening of Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values". This decree asserts that the country’s demographic situation is threatened by the "destructive ideological influence" exerted on Russian citizens by foreign states and organisations.
Amnesty International has urged the Russian authorities to respect and protect children’s rights to freedom of expression, association, and peaceful assembly. They have also called on Russia to stop restricting or removing parental rights and placing children in state custody as punishment for exercising human rights or protesting.
