Family Life

07.11.12 | Sarah Harnisch

Russia has ratified a long-awaited agreement on the adoption of Russian children by Americans. Russia has long complained about the abuse of kids by their adoptive parents. At least 19 have died at the hands of Americans. The issue came to a head at 2010 when an American mother sent her 7-year-old son back to Russia on a one-way ticket, saying he had behavioral problems. At that time, applications for adoption were frozen in Russia. Now, all adoptions must be processed through official adoption agencies registered in Russia. Those agencies must send regular reports on the child's upbringing back to Moscow. There are more then 740,000 children without parents in Russia, a country that is the third largest source of foreign adoptions by Americans, trailing only China and Ethiopia.