Improving the Situation of Children in Divorced Families – a Way to Reduce Poverty

Improving the Situation of Children in Divorced Families – a Way to Reduce Poverty


Rzhanitsyna L.S.

Dr. Sci. (Econ.), Prof., Main Researcher of Institute of Economy of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia 938@mail.ru

ID of the Article: 8596

Rubric: In memoriam

For citation:

Rzhanitsyna L.S. Improving the Situation of Children in Divorced Families – a Way to Reduce Poverty. Sotsiologicheskie issledovaniya [Sociological Studies]. 2021. No 4. P. 130-135




Abstract

A reason for child poverty in Russia is that parents who live separately from their children avoid paying alimony. The total debt on alimony in Russia has reached 150 billion rubles and continues to grow. According to Rosstat and the Accounts chamber of the Russian Federation, every fifth child under 16 who is in arrears on alimony payments assigned by a court decision does not receive money. This is almost 1.5 million children. The family code of the Russian Federation has established the right of every child to receive maintenance from the parents, and children should not be deprived of their parents’ responsibility, otherwise society and public authorities should be obliged to take special care of children, who do not have sufficient means of subsistence. This algorithm of actions is also contained in paragraph 4 of article 67.1 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation – the state assumes the responsibilities of parents in relation to children left without care. To achieve the national goal of reducing the level of poverty, fundamentally new approaches to the system of collecting alimony are required, including the creation of a state Alimony Fund in Russia


Keywords
poverty; child poverty; child support; alimony Fund; the social support of children

References

Rzhanitsyna L.S. (2008) Problems with Alimony for Child Support: Moscow Project. Moscow: Nort Media. (In Russ.)

Rzhanitsyna L.S. (2012) Alimony in Russia: Problem Analysis and Children Support Strategy. Moscow: IE RAN. (In Russ.)

Content No 4, 2021