INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
â $ Childfree propaganda is a socially hazardous phenomenon
The Americans are promoting this
Our country is vast and their [U.S.] ideology is dangerous
Under no situations should it be enabled to spread.â $ These were the words of Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of Russias lower home of
parliament, as he validated proposed legislation enforcing heavy fines on what the authorities see as the destructive promotion of â $
childfree ideology.â $ But specialists argue that this legislation, which is presently under review by lawmakers and passed its very first
reading on Thursday, is â $ repressiveâ $ and stops working to resolve the root problems behind the countryâ $ s flagging birth rates.Â
Since introducing the major invasion of Ukraine, Russian authorities have actually increase their efforts to promote so-called standard
values and family-oriented ideals, contrasting Russia with the more liberal West.President Vladimir Putin this year made increasing the
birth rate a priority, with a particular focus on encouraging households to have at least three children and the importance of high birth
rates for Russiaâ $ s future.With the Kremlins war in Ukraine revealing no signs of ending, the matter appears to have ended up being a lot
more urgent following the release of main data revealing that the birth rate has actually dropped to its most affordable level in 25 years
while mortality rates continue to rise.Volodin declared the legislation is focused on suppressing â $ any devastating content that may
influence an individuals choice about having childrenâ $ in order to improve the birth rate.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov last month
â $ Increasing the birth rate is among the governments and the nations top concerns ..
Anything that hinders this must vanish from our life, â $ he said.In truth, nevertheless, the circumstance is much more complex. Critics
are hesitant that the legislation will lead to greater birth rates, arguing that authorities should rather focus on creating much better
conditions for delivering and raising a family.Olga, a 37-year-old Muscovite with a steady task and a partner, told The Moscow Times that
financial uncertainty is her main factor for selecting not to have children.â $ What can I give this potential kid? I understand that I
cant provide anything beyond a roofing over their head
Who would take care of them while I work 15 hours a day?â $ stated Olga, who asked that her name be altered for security reasons.â $ If
the only thing a parent does is battle to endure and fret about feeding the kid â $ which is exactly how things are now â $ then, of
course, itâ $ s going to be really tough [to have children], â $ she added.The state-controlled pollster VTsIOM reported this year that 6%
of Russians believe that families need to not have children or that having children is not mandatory, while this figure is currently 20%
amongst young adults aged 18-24
A late 2022 research study by the independent pollster Levada Center said that just 1% of participants said a family with no kids is the
ideal.While a few childfree groups have appeared on VKontakte, among Russiaâ $ s most popular social networks platforms, they are fairly
little, with the largest having 19,000 and 13,000 members respectively.Experts said that the issue of declining birth rates is not rooted in
childfree ideology, but rather in financial aspects, keeping in mind that increasing monetary support to families with children is a quick
way to improve birth rates.â $ The state hysteria over birth rates has actually predictably devolved into yet another repressive costs that
no longer straight addresses group concerns
Nowadays, the federal government is experienced at repressingâ $ ¦ but it is no longer capable of constructively and productively solving
issues, â $ independent demographer Alexei Raksha said on his Telegram channel.â $ There is a clear absence of understanding of the
subject being controlled at all levels and branches of power
The authorities intend to put everything on ideological tracks, regardless of anything else, but this does not increase birth rates, â $ he
added.The legislation, if passed, would prohibit â $ childfree propagandaâ $ on the internet and in the media, movies and ads with fines
of up to 400,000 rubles ($4,129) for people and as much as 5 million rubles ($51,611) for legal entities. In practice, any favorable
comments relating to a childless way of life or public conversations on contraception or abortion might be considered an infraction, stated
Maxim Olenichev, a legal representative with the human rights group Perviy Otdel.â $ The wording of the legislation is vague and uncertain,
which might cause numerous abuses, â $ Olenichev told The Moscow Times.Another essential element is that â $ childfree propagandaâ $
would be banned for minors, which could result in limitations on educating teenagers about contraception and contraception, Olenichev stated
If society stops talking about modern-day contraception and contraception approaches, two major social problems are likely to emerge: an
increase in teenage pregnancies and increased stigmatization of abortion
All of this is, naturally, being warranted as part of the effort to uphold standard values, â $ he told The Moscow Times.Yet some want to
go even further.State Duma deputy Biysultan Hamzaev advised the Justice Ministry to prohibit the â $ childfree movementâ $ as a company â
$ interesting in extremist activities, â $ similar to how Russia has banned the LGBTQ+ neighborhood as â $ extremist.â $ The initiative,
nevertheless, does not appear to have gotten any official backing.Some pro-government specialists proposed imposing a regular monthly tax on
households without children â $ a Soviet-era practice. When asked about the proposition this week, the Kremlin stated that â $ we
need to evaluate the experienceâ $ of the Soviet Unionâ $ s tax, stating it â $ most likely had little influence on the group
situation.â $ The legislation to ban â $ childfree propagandaâ $ must pass two more readings in the State Duma, after which it would go
to the upper-house Federation Council for a single vote
Putin would likewise need to sign off.However, this legislation appears to have actually already raised concerns amongst some Russians who
do not wish to have kids.â $ I have a very bad attitude towards the expensive initiatives of our State DumÐ °, â $ Olga told The Moscow
Times. â $ I think that our legislative body is, to put it mildly, focused on the wrong issues, distracting us from truly important
â $ There is no ideology of being childfree, in my opinion
They created it yourself and are now attempting to prohibit it
Furthermore, they are not even combating the right battle.â $ â $ They have been in power for several years and during this time,
practically absolutely nothing has been done to promote a healthy domesticity, she said.
