Challenges

Russians want their children to remain in their country, but according to various statistics, Russian families rarely adopt. Interfax found from a June 2005 poll by the Russian Public Opinion Studies Center (VTsIOM), which polled 153 cities, towns, and villages of 46 regions of Russia that:

• 81% of Russians do not plan to adopt a child.
• 61% believe that the government should not ban adoption by foreign families.

• 13% believe that foreign adoption was necessary to solve the problem of neglected children.

Fears

The worry now is not only for the children of Russia that wait in orphanages for a forever family, but for the children and families who have already been matched. Will these adoptions be allowed to go forward and be finalized?

Where It Stands

Citizens of the US are not allowed to adopt from Russia, effective January 1, 2013. Now, to find a way for families already in the middle of the adoption process, who have already been matched and have begun to create a bond with their children, to find a way to finalization.

***
_{References include several news articles from the following:
BBC
The Christian Science Monitor
RIA Novosti (Russian News & Information Agency)
MosNews.com
The New York Time - Working on Overhaul, Russia Halts Adoption Applications}