Handle with care: How Lukashenko “protects” orphans in Belarus
Authors
ORPHANS HELD HOSTAGE
It was when she was seven that Albina, an orphan from Belarus, finally found her parents. They were Salvatore and Sabrina Caruso, from Italy. As part of a special programme in 2019, they took the girl to a health retreat where they treated her like a family member. They realised that they did not want to part with her, so they began the process of international adoption. Minsk and Rome agreed on the matter two decades ago, and the system was subsequently refined. Checks and bureaucratic issues could take up to three years. But Albina has been waiting for six.
All the while, the Carusos have been calling the girl via video link every Sunday at the same time. Albina invariably asks:
“When can I come and stay with you in Italy in the beautiful room you have prepared for me? Please leave it as it is, don’t change anything”.
The girl has no idea that around 200 other children from Belarus have been waiting for years to meet their Italian parents. This was reported to Buro by the Associazione Adozioni Alfabeto, an organisation responsible for handling international adoptions.
Buro discovered that most of these Belarusian orphans are over 12 and have health issues. They are not being released from the orphanages because the Lukashenko regime sees them as a means of political manipulation.
NO CHILD’S PLAY
According to data from Belstat, problems with international adoption began in 2020. Previously, children went abroad to foster parents by the tens and hundreds; after that, the number dwindled to just a few. In 2023, there was no instance of a child being adopted internationally. This is the first such case in 17 years.
Buro discovered that it was a matter of politics. Following an unprecedented crackdown on civil society by Aleksandr Lukashenko after the 2020 presidential election, the European Union severed ties with the official Minsk government. Among other things, no letter of guarantee was signed regarding the approval of international adoption between Italy and Belarus. Orphans who had met their Italian parents and were preparing to move in with them were left stranded in orphanages.
Their Italian foster families began to fight for them. They appealed to their government several times, demanding that the Letter of Guarantee on Intercountry Adoption be recognised as an administrative act, rather than a political one, so that they could sign it on that basis. When persuasion proved unsuccessful, the prospective parents appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled in their favour.
The chairman of the Italian Council of Ministers signed the letter of guarantee in October 2024 and sent it to Lukashenko. However, intercountry adoption proceedings have not resumed. The Italian side is in the dark about the reasons for this, according to what the representatives of Associazione Adozioni Alfabeto told Buro.
We requested an explanation from the Belarusian side.
SANCTIONED CHILDREN
The National Adoption Centre is responsible for overseeing issues related to orphans in Belarus, including the procedure for intercountry adoption. It is legal in our country, and its rules are set out in the Marriage and Family Code.
However, Tatsiana Bialevich, the director of the centre, said the following in a commentary to BelTA in autumn 2024:
“The only reason our children go abroad is if their mother moves to a different country, for example, to marry a foreigner. We don’t send children abroad in any other circumstances”.
Buro has sent formal appeals to both the National Adoption Centre and the Ministry of Education, the agency to which it reports. We requested comments on both Bialevich’s statements and the situation surrounding international adoption. The officials disregarded our questions, responding only with the statement that they had “taken note of them”.
Then, posing as a BSU law student, a Buro journalist called Tatsiana Bialevich. The official replied that, although international adoption arrangements with Italy “have not been terminated”, “all processes have been suspended due to geopolitical circumstances”.
Then we asked about the children who have been unable to be reunited with their Italian foster parents for over five years, even though their government has already taken all the necessary steps to resume cooperation. Bialevich said in response:
“This situation has not been resolved, and I’m not in a position to say whether it will be or not. I’m not a politician. I did not impose sanctions on the Republic of Belarus. <...> These are internal tools and levers which we employ. And I see no reason to tell you specifically about these internal levers”.
The Buro journalist then pointed out that this approach has left more than 200 children in limbo. The director of the National Adoption Centre disagreed:
“Citizens of the Republic of Belarus are not in a state of limbo here. Orphans live here, are raised here, and are provided for by the state. These children are doing well. Yes, they went to Italy for health improvement – and that is all for now”.
Incidentally, the Belarusian authorities froze the adoption arrangements and stopped allowing the “Chornobyl-affected children” to go to Italy for health improvement. The president of the Puer association, which has been organising travel for several decades, revealed that this happened at the initiative of Minsk.
“Our government tried to establish a dialogue and offer the necessary guarantees [to the Belarusian side]. They need reassurance that the kids will come back. I am aware that our government has provided these guarantees”, Sergio de Cicco informed the Italian news outlet La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno in 2023.
Belarusian officials regard the issue of international guardianship as a political matter. The director of the National Adoption Centre told our journalist quite bluntly that they view orphans as “tools” and “levers”. In light of this rhetoric, the likelihood of 200 children being reunited with their foster parents is slim.
First, Aleksandr Lukashenko indirectly prevented them from travelling abroad, and now he refuses to sign the guarantee letter, without which the children will not be allowed to leave the care homes. Moreover, the Belarusian system of international adoption was essentially established under Lukashenko’s control.
OF THE DEVIL
In 2004, Aleksandr Lukashenko held a meeting to discuss social issues, during which he expressed “serious concerns” about the system of intercountry adoption.
“700 children a year are sent abroad to live with other families. Work out how to stop such a process from happening again next year. We need our own children. We need our own citizens. We are now in a position to raise our own children. We’ve got to get this over with”.
The National Adoption Centre, which today obeys Lukashenko uncomplainingly, criticised his words at the time.
“Even if all Belarusian orphans wanted to be adopted by their compatriots, it would be impossible to provide them with the same standard of living as in Italy or Germany, where most of those who have been adopted live”, said the centre’s employees.
The media accused Lukashenko of distorting statistics. According to Komsomolskaya Pravda, foreigners adopted an average of around 200 children per year between 1991 and 2003. During the same period, Belarusian families adopted more than 3,000 children per year. The ratio of international to national adoption was 1:15. In other words, there was no mass export of Belarusian orphans to other countries, bypassing local adopters.
Furthermore, a mere 7% of children adopted by foreign families were in good health.
Komsomolskaya Pravda also noted that “these healthy children had no chance of being adopted by a family in their country of origin because of their age”.
The same information was given to the Viasna Human Rights Centre by an unnamed employee of a Minsk orphan asylum.
“Mostly, foreigners adopt sick children, whom our Belarusian citizens will almost certainly give up”.
Rather than protecting Belarusian orphans, Lukashenko’s initiative put the most vulnerable among them in an even worse situation. Nevertheless, the government implemented it.
In 2005, a decree was adopted stipulating that only citizens of states with which Minsk had agreed on the procedure of intercountry adoption could adopt Belarusian children. Although our orphans were accepted in 22 countries before that, the agreement was only concluded with Italy.
Italy and Belarus have long shared a tradition of humanitarianism. Every year after the Chornobyl accident, thousands of Belarusian children went there for recuperation. Adoption of Belarusian orphans by citizens of other states was effectively prohibited.
This is the system that was in place until 2020.
PROS AND CONS
Belarus is not the only country to have reduced opportunities for intercountry adoption in recent years. Romania, South Korea, Ethiopia, China, Denmark, Kazakhstan and other countries have adopted various kinds of restrictions. “In the best interests of the children” was the typical rhetoric used to justify it. The most frequently mentioned arguments were those relating to corruption, child trafficking and exploitation.
Supporters of international adoption called such statements a form of manipulation designed to score political points.
They believe that banning adoptions based solely on citizenship condemns orphans and potential guardians to suffering. If the lawmakers really wanted to stop corruption and child abuse, they would have developed precise criteria for vetting prospective adopters and investigated every case of abuse.
Belarusian regulators have worked on it. Back in 2005, they created a list of children whom foreigners could adopt. A child can only be included if there are no families in Belarus ready to take them in. If they are over ten years old, they must give written consent to the international adoption themselves. If they are younger, their guardians or custodians must do so. Various agencies at all levels must also provide their approval, including the facility where the child is staying and the three relevant ministries.
The following requirements were set out for foreigners by Belarus: an age limit of up to 45 years old, being in a legal marriage and an absence of serious diseases or criminal records. In addition, they are required to demonstrate their financial means, pass an interview in Belarus, and arrange multiple recreational outings for the child. Only after that does the adoption process begin. Following the child’s relocation, the consulate continues to monitor their situation for an additional five years, providing the Ministry of Education of Belarus with updates every six months.
As it turns out, there is no need to worry about the safety of our children in foreign families. The only reason they are kept in Belarusian orphanages is politics.
In a conversation with Buro, journalist and feminist Nasta Zakharevich came to the same conclusion:
“Firstly, this is an element of Belarus’ self-isolation, which is multifaceted. Secondly, it is synchronisation with Russian norms. Moreover, such rhetoric aligns with the broader narrative that the authorities have presented since 2020, portraying all things foreign as negative”.
Nasta Zakharevich claims that such a policy does not protect orphans; instead, it reduces their chances of leading a happy life.
“There is no big waiting list for adopting children in Belarus. So it’s not a choice between whether a child goes to a Belarusian family or to a foreign one. The choice is between the child going to live with a family in another country or staying in an orphanage until they are an adult. Children in these facilities are deprived of basic things. After leaving, they don’t even know what a whole apple looks like because they have only ever seen sliced ones”.
The impact of the ban on international adoption on the lives of Belarusian orphans is best understood by hearing from those who have experienced it first-hand. A Buro journalist interviewed former residents of an orphanage who have travelled to Italy on holiday several times.
FIRST-HAND ACCOUNTS
The first Buro’s interviewee is 25 years old. She asked not to reveal her name but shared memories of life with her caregivers. These people took her in from an orphanage and made her part of their family, but they did not adopt her. They received a government allowance for caring for her. Although the young woman is grateful to them for taking her from the orphanage, she describes life in their family as brutal and traumatic because of the constant punishments.
“I remember struggling with learning the alphabet or the multiplication table. And she [the foster mother – author’s note] would take me outside in the cold while I was only wearing my underwear. She wanted to punish me so I could learn well. I used to lick my lips occasionally, so she put mustard on them to make me stop”.
Our interviewee went to Italy for recovery during the summer and winter vacations. There, she was always welcomed by the same family. It was these people who became true parents to her, the woman recalls:
“Thankfully, at the same time, I had an Italian family who showed me what real parents are like, how they should treat their children, and what it’s like to feel loved and have a childhood with toys and enough clothes”.
Our other interviewee is 22 years old and currently resides in Spain. The young man asked not to be named because he fears for his brother’s safety, as he is still in Belarus. They grew up in an orphanage and then in family-type children’s homes. These are not the kind of residential institutions where a large number of children are cared for by hired staff, but a format resembling an ordinary family: a small group of children lives in a house under the supervision of “caregivers”. This is how our interlocutor remembers his carers:
“There were nine of us in this family-run orphanage, and we worked for our foster parents. We were used to working in the vegetable gardens and digging up potatoes from an early age. Then we got involved in building a house. I was only 12 years old. Besides, we were beaten. For the foster parents, it was totally normal”.
The young man remembers other alarming incidents involving his caregivers:
“I’m not sure they spent all the money they were supposed to on us. The food was always simple and unappetising: buckwheat and cheap sausages. Meanwhile, my parents were building a second house directly opposite the one allocated to us by the state. How did they manage to find the money for this when their only job was to look after us? They had cars, too. Additionally, the state would give us TV sets, washing machines, and dishwashers every New Year’s Eve. It all would disappear. Although we were given a plasma TV, we used an old one instead. Also, the state gave us 25,000 Belarusian rubles to have the kitchen reequipped, but nothing has changed”.
Our subject claims that children from other family-type orphanages found themselves in a similar situation. He knows of several cases personally. He believes that the root of the problems lies in the way caregivers are selected.
“There are no clear entry criteria or rigorous testing for the profession. The people I grew up with didn’t have any teacher training. They didn’t know how to interact with children”.
The requirements for caregivers are indeed not particularly strict. Basic criteria include having no criminal record, no alcoholism or drug addiction, and not being below the poverty line. However, before becoming a foster carer, the person will be offered training courses.
Things are even worse in residential care homes, says the interlocutor:
“There’s a lot more violence there because a large proportion of children live in gated communities. They try to make it seem as though everything in these institutions is okay, and that children are given enough care, affection and love. But this is nonsense. I know this from my own experience, as well as from the accounts of many acquaintances who have been in orphanages”.
Our interlocutor’s outlet was trips to Italy for recuperation. The same family hosted him there for several years. The young man describes that time as one of the best and most important periods in his life:
“It was really cool from a socialisation standpoint. I was observing the world and learning that people lived differently from how I was used to in a closed community. I was socialising with very different people, learning the language, and getting love. The Italians made me feel like I was part of a family, like I had parents and people close to me. Without that experience, I would probably be very different from who I am today, just like most of the other children in the orphanage. You would get discharged and start drinking. The majority of orphans actually lead marginalised lifestyles. This is because they grow up in a closed community. They even attend schools that are based in residential facilities. When they turn 18 and leave care homes, they have no idea what they want to do with their lives. Soon, they start to repeat the behaviour of their biological parents, and society simply does not accept them. Travelling to Italy was exactly the kind of thing that helped me get out of that cocoon. It was a huge opportunity for the kids to see that you can live differently”.
Our subject is confident that international adoption offers Belarusian orphans a better chance of a happy future.
“It’s a ticket to a life of love and normality. It’s incredibly sad that such an opportunity is now denied. From experience, I know that adoption is not very common among our citizens. If foreigners stop adopting children, no one will be better off. More children will end up in boarding schools and orphanages, where conditions are brutal”.
A few years ago, our interlocutor, already a fully grown adult, found the very Italian family that took him in for recuperation. They met.
“It felt like those ten years apart never happened. The Italians greeted me as though we interacted with each other every day, as though I were their own child”, the young man shares.
MAXIMUM-SECURITY ORPHANAGE
The current generation of orphans has been denied the opportunity to travel abroad and find a family. At the same time, the officials insist that the children in Belarusian orphanages are now in good hands. Buro checked to see if it was true.
Resolution No. 840 of the Council of Ministers stipulates how the state should provide for children in residential care homes. The document outlines the standards for food, clothing, footwear, and soft equipment.
Thus, children are given five pairs of underwear, ten pairs of socks, two pairs of trousers and two jumpers per year. No more than that. Personal hygiene items are subject to even stricter rules. For one month, they receive one roll of toilet paper, 50ml of toothpaste, and 200g of soap. One deodorant for six months.
Officials did not always meet even these modest standards. The Zerkalo media outlet and the BelPol association revealed this information from a letter by the Prosecutor-General’s Office addressed to the Council of Ministers. Buro has also reviewed the document.
It states that in 2023, the Malatkovichy Special Boarding School was allocated 17,000 rubles instead of the prescribed 24,000 rubles. The previous year, Minsk Orphan Asylum No. 7 was allocated 213 Belarusian rubles per pupil, rather than the 320-330 rubles typically allocated depending on age.
The “record” was set in the Klichau District. In 2022, the district social and pedagogical centre was credited with 637 rubles by local authorities. It was assumed that this money could be used to purchase basic necessities, hygiene products, school supplies, and clothing and footwear for 26 people. In other words, only 24 rubles were allocated to meet the annual needs of one child. By law, nearly 16 times more funds are needed.
The letter did not specify what the money that the orphans did not receive was used for.
In 2023, prosecutors carried out random inspections of family-type orphanages in five districts and one city of Belarus. They identified problems with the maintenance of the buildings where the orphans lived.
The entire building of the family-type orphanage in Krupki District, which housed seven children, needed “immediate repair”. The roof leaked, so snow had to be removed from the rooms during the winter months.
The basement of the family-type children’s home in the village of Treskaushchyna in the Minsk District was permanently flooded due to the landscape and a faulty pump. The porch, front door, stairs and rooms all needed repairing. Six children were living in the house. They slept on makeshift bunk beds. The Minsk District Executive Committee has allocated only 1,300 rubles over the past 14 years to address these issues.
At the same time, the Prosecutor General’s Office noted that, even with full funding, it would not have been possible to meet the needs of children. Prices for essential items were increasing, but institutions’ budgets were not being increased accordingly.
The Sianno Orphan Asylum was cited as an example. In 2022, the percentage of needs met for boys was just 22%, while the figure for girls was 30%.
Another critical point is that orphanages do not budget for nappies, prescription drugs or medical supplies such as glasses.
Thanks to sponsorship, the children from Minsk Orphan Asylum No. 7 were able to purchase glasses, and four children from Sianno Orphan Asylum, who suffered from enuresis, got diapers. .
Let us recall that most of those 200 children who are not allowed to reunite with their foster parents in Italy have health problems.
A Buro journalist contacted the executive committees that run the problematic orphanages to determine if the violations had been investigated and addressed. At the time of publication, officials from Pinsk have responded. They claim that those responsible for the children’s institution not receiving the money they were supposed to have received have been “identified and held accountable”.
We also called these executive committees. Officials were mainly reluctant to comment, but the education department of one district did provide a brief statement.
The employee said that the government had increased funding for children’s homes in 2023, and that everything was now fine because “the work had been set up”.
The resolution to increase the budget was indeed adopted: Buro found the relevant document.
It shows that twice as much money was allocated for clothing and footwear for children. At the same time, the standards of supply remained the same: five pairs of underwear and ten pairs of socks per year. In essence, therefore, nothing has changed – only the budget has been adjusted according to current prices.
Food costs have remained the same: 7-10 rubles per child per day, depending on age. The budget for personal hygiene items has also not been increased, ranging from 200 to 600 rubles per year, depending on gender and age. The supply standards remained the same: no more than one roll of toilet paper is allowed per month.
Even with the increased budget for clothing and footwear, the orphanages still needed sponsorship. The Buro journalist discovered this by contacting several foundations posing as a potential donor. The employees said that they use donations to purchase nappies, nutritional formula, stationery, medicine, medical supplies, curtains, cooking stoves and household utensils for the orphanages. Additionally, funds are allocated to orphanages to purchase essential items.
Demand for support from funds is unlikely to decrease in the near future. Buro discovered that an increasing number of children are being placed in orphanages and various types of shelters. According to Belstat, there were 525 children in boarding homes and 1,860 in family-type children’s homes in 2024. These are the highest numbers in the last five years, specifically since the de facto ban on international adoptions took effect.
In 2023, 1,050 children were living in children’s social care facilities, which is the highest figure in the last ten years. The number of children under three years of age in orphanages has been consistently decreasing since 2010. Still, it has started to increase again since 2023. The latest figures show that there are currently 456 children there.
Furthermore, an increasing number of people have been deprived of their parental rights in Belarus since 2020. In 2024, 3,955 children were removed from their families – the highest number in ten years.
In a world where more and more children need parents, how reasonable is it to close down the possibility of international adoption? We contacted the staff at the National Adoption Centre by calling their direct phone line to inquire about this.
“International adoption has never been a priority. National adoption is at the top of the priority list. I can tell you that there are a large number of Belarusian citizens who want to adopt, and they do adopt. <...> Out of the number of children who were supposed to go to Italian families, some have already been adopted by Belarusian citizens”, replied the National Adoption Centre.
We also asked officials whether they believed that the budgets and provisioning standards allocated to orphanages were adequate.
“Let’s not focus on the standards, but on what they actually do – and they do a lot, from the heart. I don’t think they are limited today to just one roll [of toilet paper] and these existing standards. I believe they are actually given more”, said the National Adoption Centre.
So, as we can see, the Belarusian authorities have decided that 200 orphans, most of whom have health problems, are not entitled to a family, maternal care or a father’s support. This is happening at a time when the number of orphaned children is increasing year on year, and the public purse cannot provide for all of them. After all, in Belarus, much more fervour is shown in spending budget money on showcase events and meeting the needs of a select few. Take the beauty contests, for example, where Lukashenko selects his maids of honour for his court. When the authorities need to use leverage and political bargaining tools, they think of children.