Anna Kuznetsova discussed with Chairman of the Investigative Committee Alexander Bastrykin urgent issues related to protecting the rights and lawful interests of minors against the background of negative trends and new challenges in child safety. The introduction of criminal liability for encouraging suicide among minors on the internet was an important topic of the meeting. Ms Kuznetsova observed that the bad situation is made worse by the rapid expansion of social media and the high-profile coverage of this topic in the media.
Mr Bastrykin reaffirmed that the committee is fully committed to doing all it can within its competence to protect children.
During the meeting with Mr Topilin in the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection the participants discussed areas and formats of further cooperation, emphasising the need for active joint efforts to improve social and medical assessments and render aid to children with disabilities at an early stage. Support for families with children was also discussed.
On September 27 Ms Kuznetsova met with Healthcare Minister Veronika Skvortsova.
During the meeting in the Healthcare Ministry they discussed a broad range of issues pertaining to children’s health, medical treatment for pregnant women, the provision of medicines and therapy for disabled children.
The officials emphasised the importance of abortion prevention via consultations as well as social and psychological assistance for pregnant women. They also discussed palliative care for children and reached agreement on joint monitoring in this area.