Returned Russian Adoptee Sparks Treaty Talks

By Alex Newman

International public officials and child protection activists alike raged over the recent drama of 7-year-old Russian orphan, Artyom Hanson. The child’s adoptive mother sent him back to Moscow via transatlantic flight with only a letter claiming the adoption agency had misled the family by hiding alleged “behavioral problems.”

“Russia’s foreign ministry will insist on all adoptions of Russian children in the U.S. being banned until our countries sign a treaty to regulate the conditions of such adoptions,” said Sergey Lavrov, Russian foreign minister, in an interview with Russian news station, Russia Today.

Despite the adamant response from the foreign ministry, Russia has yet to place a complete freeze on the 3,000 pending adoptions of Russian children by would-be U.S. parents.

“There has been a lot of confusion based on statements from the officials in Russia who have power to enact a freeze. There is not an official, formal freeze and cases are still being processed,” said Emily Ballas, Russian Adoption Officer of the U.S. State Department.

The American government has been reluctant to enter into a formal adoption pact with Russia, largely because of the implications it may have for national sovereignty. Some are concerned that such a treaty would allow the Russian government to prosecute American adoptive parents found guilty of child abuse or neglect.

“There has been a delegation sent to Russia and there will be another on May 12, to continue discussions about improvements…the goal being to look at terms that would bring greater safety, to address the concerns of both countries,” Ballas said.

Where such an understanding was long avoided, the recent outcry from both the general public and Russian officials has already seen a softening of stances from the American government. The U.S. State Department delegation will be discussing, in detail, a potential program with terms to ensure American parents are better prepared for adoption and to gather more information on each child so as to make a better match.

“We’re willing to talk about some sort of bilateral understanding where we would ensure that these kinds of things could not happen,” said John Beyrle, U.S. Ambassador to Russia, in a recent public statement.

Parties from both sides have said that with a few modifications, the Hague Convention of 1996 could provide the proper jurisdiction to handle such cases. Though the convention addresses parental responsibility and measures to protect children, the Russian government had not yet implemented it.

However, talk of a treaty (outside of the convention) between solely Russia and the United States remains on the table.

“This will establish the responsibilities of the adoptive families,” Lavrov said. “We’ve discussed this with the U.S. before and they’ve tried to avoid doing this, but this latest incident has exhausted our patience.”