Belarus is a landlocked country bordered by Latvia,
Lithuania, Poland, Russia and Ukraine. With a total
land area of 207,600 sq km divided into six provinces,
the country has a population of 9.9 million people with
2.2 million under 18 years old. In terms of ethnic composition,
81.2% of the population is Belarusian, 11.4% Russian, 3.9%
Polish and 2.4% Ukrainian.
After seven decades as a constituent republic of the
USSR, Belarus attained its independence in 1991. It has
retained closer political and economic ties to Russia than
any of the other former Soviet republics. In 1999, Belarus
and Russia signed a treaty on a two-state union, envisioning
greater political and economic integration.
Belarus is a lower middle income country with a gross
national income per capita of US$1,590 in 2003. GDP growth declined
by an estimated 40 percent during 1992–1995,
but resumed again in 1996. Since then, official statistics
show a continuous and substantial growth in GDP and industrial
production, reaching a peak in 1997–1998. Between
1999 and 2002, however, GDP growth and industrial output
declined as compared to their peaks in 1997–1998.
The country has success in reducing inflation from
108% in 2000 to 28% in 2003.
The economy is highly industrialised and largely dependent
on imported energy and raw materials. Trade, services
and the industrial sector are the main sources of economic
development. In 2003, services accounted for 53.1% of GDP,
industry and construction for 37.1% and agriculture and
forestry for 9.8%.
Belarus continues to be affected by the explosion
at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986, when almost
23% of its territory was contaminated by radioactive fall-out.
The necessity of allocating resources to deal with the
enormous environmental, economic, fiscal and social consequences
of the catastrophe, which amounted to 1.1% of GDP in 2003,
has weighed on the budget for a number of years.
According to the findings of poverty assessment undertaken
by the World Bank, the incidence of poverty in Belarus
has declined substantially over the course of the past
eight years, while inequality has increased only marginally.
This has been achieved by maintaining an extensive system
of social protection, services, and administrative increases
in wages. A key source of economic vulnerability is administratively-set
real wage growth which has outstripped productivity growth,
endangering the sustainability of progress achieved in
poverty reduction. Compared to other transitional economies,
Belarus has one of the lowest poverty rates at the lower
regional line of $2 per capita per day measured with purchasing
power parity (PPP). In 2002, less than 1.6% of Belarus’ population
was living on less than PPP $2. Some groups face a higher
poverty risk than others. People residing in rural areas
(28.5% of the total population) represent the largest share
of the poor (39%). Higher education levels correlate with
higher incomes. The risk of being poor increases with the
number of children, moderately up to 2 children but steeply
thereafter. Families with 3 or more children have 3 times
the average risk of being poor. Poverty related patterns
are also evident in morbidity and risk factors.
In education, social services and health, the Government
maintains an expensive input-based approach. In 2003, 46.6%
of the consolidated budget was spent on education; 36%
on health and physical education and 12.2% on social assistance
and insurance.
Deprivation of parental care
Deprivation of parental rights is the main cause of children
falling in the category of orphans. In 2003, 4,789 new
cases of children without parental care were registered
by child protection agencies, which is also the indication
of the continuing crisis of the family. The main reason
for the termination of parental rights is parental neglect
associated with parents’ “immoral” life
styles and alcoholism. The last years have demonstrated
some positive changes in the situation of children deprived
of parental care. At the beginning of 2004, there were
27,888 children deprived of parental care. 13,016 were
in state care (46.67%), 324 in temporary care (in shelters
for children), 14,872 in private care (53.33%). 1,051 children
were adopted in 2003, including 337 by Belarus citizens
and 714 by foreigners. In the nineties, the number of children
in state care institutions was growing, but since 2001
there is evidence of the decrease in the number of institutionalised
children. For comparison, in 1993, 39.1% of children deprived
of parental care were placed in alternative care, and 53.3%
in 2003. The negative impact of institutionalisation affects
children. More than 27% of them have chronic diseases,
27% have developmental delays, and 43% do not have housing.
Young people leaving care have difficulties in adapting
to independent living, starting a family and fostering
their children.
Deprivation of liberty
The situation
with juvenile delinquency is worsening. While juvenile
crime rates stabilised in the mid-1990s, they rose again
in the last three years. In 2003, law enforcement agencies
investigated 8,635 crimes committed by minors, which is
14% more than in 2002. That tendency continued in 2004
when they identified a 4,8% increase in comparison with
2003. Alcohol abuse, drug addiction, violence and aggressiveness
are widespread among young people. 25.4% of crimes were
committed by minors who were intoxicated. 44% of adolescents
serving sentences in prisons are from families in crisis
and 8% are social orphans.
The juvenile justice system, as presently constituted,
places considerable emphasis on punitive measures and in
particular on the deprivation of liberty. There is no distinct
system of juvenile courts in Belarus. The scarcity of
resources particularly at the local level, financial and
personnel, inhibits the development of services for children
generally and more specifically for those children who
offend. The juvenile justice system is more reactive than
proactive. The public attitudes towards young offenders
also reflect the domination of the punitive approach.
Exposure to violence, exploitation and abuse
In Belarus, children under age 5 who die from violence
or poisoning represent 16.5% of all under-5 deaths. Overall,
the under-5 mortality rate is decreasing; but deaths
due to violence and poisoning are increasing, reaching
1.8 deaths per 1000 live births in 2002.
Key donors
UNICEF acknowledges the Dutch and German National Committees
and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation for
their support of national efforts in reforming child protection
system in Belarus.
Partners
The main partners of UNICEF in the Child Protection Programme
are the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labour and Social
Protection, Ministry of Statistics and Analysis, Ministry
of Interior, State Chernobyl Committee, local authorities,
education and social protection public agencies, as well
as NGOs such as Belarusian Association of Assistance to
Disabled Children and Young People, Belarusian Association
of UNESCO Clubs, Ponimanie, Belarusian Fund of Social Support
to Children and Adolescents “We to Children”,
League of Youth Voluntary Service.
