Dasha (with a dog), Podolsk (Moscow region)

One of the railway station's "veterans". Although she occasionally

goes home, she doesn 7 want to live there because of

the strained relations with her aunt. The mother died 2 years
ago from tuberculosis. The father died when Dosha was only

1.5 years old so she doesn 7 remember him. Completed 9 grades

at school. Suffers from (hemic til dependency (glue). Makes her

living by pan handling. To feed her dog, goes to Kutchino.

Some teenager bands migrate preferring to hang out near drugstores

where they could buy drugs altering the state of mind (like stadol

or demidrol). Many children inhale (use) glue, varnish or other

chemical substances producing the same effect. For some children,

chemical dependency becomes the main purpose in life although a

majority of the teenagers view it as a fact of life which helps avoid internal

conflicts and forget about tomorrow.

During a face-to-face conversation, the children are less reticent;

however, from the behavior correction point of view, group therapy is

likewise important. Duration of correctional work would be directly

proportionate to the duration of the children's life on the street.

Most of the children seen at railway stations are over I 5 years old.

lounger children were seen once or twice, and we were able to convince

them to return home (Valentin and Sasha from Balashikha.

Moscow region).

In an overwhelming majority of cases, the children run away from

dysfunctional families, i.e. single-parent families or from parents suflering

from alcohol or drug abuse.

Nikita, 14 years. Noginsk (Moscow region).

Mother died 3 years ago, father has been drinking,and

beating up the boy ever since he returned from prison. "/'/// not

going to tome back until Dad is locked-up again..."

Boys are seen on the street much more often than girls. Most girls

living on the street speak of their wish to live at home. Older girls try

to establish permanent or long-term relationship with boys.

Zhenya V.. Mi years, Orenburg region.

Refused from rehab course (uses drugs) explaining that she

wants to stay together with her boyfriend who also lives on the

ч/reet. After sorting it out with the boy, decided to go to her

brother living in Ryazhsk.

Girls tend to be less satisfied with their living on the street.

Anya N.. 16 years, Moscow.

With mother deprived of her parental rights, the girl has

escaped from an orphanage several times. When asked why, she

replies: "It's dull there". Been living on the street for 3 years.

PROBLEMS

As already mentioned, most children living on the street lor a long

time are quite happy with their lives and do not want to change anything

hoping that life will take a turn for the better without any efforts

on their own part. Correctional work is possible albeit hampered by the

altered system of values (survival matters most). The absence ol a

minimal motivation to change their lives is a serious obstacle for working

with these children.

Another problem is our limited resources which precludes our

activities with families living outside Moscow city limits.

Brother and sister Boudanov, I 3 years, Elektrostahl

(Moscow region).

Although they have mother and a stepfather, the children live

at an orphanage and see the family on weekends. The relations

with the stepfather are strained, the children complain of physical

abuse. As of today, Olesyu often runs away, however, we

can't influence the family - they live too far away from

Moscow.

Problems the children encounter could be categorized into internal

and external-related.

External-related problems:

1. Violence in the family and in orphanages are the most frequently

named reasons for running away. The children don't want this information

disclosed because they fear harassment. (Some teenagers

report that the Orekhovo-Zuevo orphanage is infamous for bullying:

elders force younger children to pan handle, physically abusing those

who refuse to do it).

2. Formalities required for admitting the child into a shelter. Prior

to admittance, the child has to pass a physical checkup. In Moscow,

there are only 3 hospitals dealing with homeless children - DGKB

(Childi 'en s Municipal Clinic) #121 (80 beds for homeless children),

Tushino Children's Municipal Clinic (for children aged over 15 years,

60 beds) and Morozovskaya Children's Municipal Clinic (for children

aged under 15 years, 30 beds). The children are reluctant to speak of

[heir experience at the clinics and all comments are negative. Frequent

complaints of physical abuse by the staff, humiliation by security, etc.

3. Children often reject rehab course and hospitals because of their

distrust of the adults and suspicion they would be returned to the

places they already escaped from.

4. Some reports of pedophilia which are practically impossible to

prove.

5. Police brutality. According to the teenagers, on very cold days

last winter, the police and railway station security threw outside those

who refused to pay them off.

Internal problems:

1. Unawareness of any alternatives. For children from dysfunctional

families, the possibility of any relationship other than that from

which they are running away is very difficult to imagine.

2. Alter some time on the street, teenagers adopt a welfare attitude

iewingthe world from the standpoint of their own benefit. Any wrongdoing

is acceptable without remorse. Priority is given to survival.

3. An altered system of values. Knowing one's ability to survive,

priding oneself on their ability to steal and deceive becomes more

important than family, home, study, etc.

4. Deceit. Children often tell lies due to distrust and fear of being

forced to return. For some teenagers this becomes a way of life, they

-eein to enjoy telling fantastic life stories. Stories like this can be identified

only through regular communication with other street workers.

Socio-economic Profile (an extract from the 2005 MSF report)

"After an analysis of the target audience's socio-economic profile

in 2005, we have made the following conclusions:

• A majority of homeless children come from single-parent families,

from families with a non-working parent or where one of the parents

died or was doing time in prison.
• A majority of homeless children opt for living on the street as an

alternative to a chronic neglect from their parents, relatives, teachers

and society in general.

• Many had to run away because of domestic violence or sexual

abuse.

• Children run away because of unsatisfactory living conditions

(when a family of five has to live in a single-room dwelling).

Running away may be provoked by the parents" alcoholism.

Running away may be provoked by lack of attention from the

orphanage staff.

• The issue of homeless children may be fuelled by immigration from

the former USSR republics.

• Many teenagers from all over Russia come to Moscow because

they perceive this city as a "paradise" where they could have a

good time and make some money.

• 81 % of the children are urban residents.

• 20% of all children ran away from home. 8 0% - from child care

institutions (with 10% of these running away from orphanages

and the remaining 9 0% - from shelters).

• 80% of the children escaping orphanages report abuse by stall or

senior children; the child views the "freedom" of street living as the

best choice as compared to the restrictions and hazards of staying

in the orphanage.

• I lomeless children "by definition" cut themselves loose from their

families and the adult world which they, based on their experience,

see as hostile to them. This break-up with society leads to a certain

dependency on their sense of freedom. I lowever. on the street,

freedom is a relative concept: police round-ups, crime, drug

dependency and prostitution are facts of street life. A homeless

teenager often lives in a world of his own dreams, in a world oi illusionary

freedom. He finds shelter and recognition in a band oi

teenagers like him. Gradually the teenager withdraws into oneself,

gets weaker and becomes more a victim rather than a leader.

.)'> Ml)S(:<)VV 'S RAILWAY STATU)N CHILDREN

WORKING WITH YOUTH AT RISK" series. Issue in

Only 2% of the children cany any documents.

• An overwhelming majority of homeless children don't go to school

and have no job; some stay in the same grade for several years or

ignore school altogether.

• hi order to survive, homeless children bunch together while still

preferring independence and relying on themselves only (allegiance

to the band and solidarity depends on the situation).

• Many homeless children are constantly or occasionally involved in

criminal activity like petty thefts, organized crime, etc.

Non-criminal income requires a more "creative" approach; however,

the idea of money management is foreign to a majority of the

homeless children: they immediately spend all the money they

11 lake.

• Chances of becoming a prostitute are very high for girls living on

the street for more than six months.

• Younger boys are especially vulnerable to sex abuse, they are

attracted by easy money and gifts (in 2005. two of the project's

children became victims of sexual abuse).

• More than half of the project's children were at least twice detained

by the police on suspicion.

• More than 70% of the children were at least once escorted to a

hospital or an orphanage from where they ran away again.

• After six month of living on the street, homeless children gradually

become unwilling to change their lives which seriously hinders

the re-socialization process".

The Main Objectives to Be Achieved through Contact with the

Children

As already mentioned earlier, the main purpose of our contact with

the children is to identify the reasons for their living on the street, find

out how they survive in this situation and whether they see any

prospects for the future or want to change anything.

Another important goal is to inform the children about "sale" institutions

where they could get assistance. We invited the children to the
MSF daytime center and to the Path to Home shelter. In addition,

given that most street children use psychoactive substances, we

encouraged the children to go through a rehabilitation program at

Kvartal. Acting together with the MSF people, we even organized

"study tours" to the rehabilitation center where the children could for

themselves see the facilities and conditions, talk to those teenagers

already undergoing the rehab course.

The mere fact of our target audience receiving positive information

on Kvartal as a place where they don't have to fear the doctors, a place

providing medical and psychological assistance can surely be regarded

as an important project output.

Kvartal

, 1 / / extract from a report by Veronica Gotlieb's (Director oj

Kvartal rehabilitation complex).

In the 9 months of its operation. Kvartal rehabilitation complex has

treated 9 teenagers (two of them aged 16 and seven - between 7 and

15 years, including two girls).

As of the date of admission, one of the teenagers was using opiates,

another - alcohol. The remaining teenagers were using a combination

of various psychoactive substances, including volatile organic

compounds (glue, furniture polish), alcohol and opiates.

Admission of each teenager to the inpatient department was

authorized by the Moscow Government's Health Gare Department

(with the application submitted by MSF).

Most of the teenagers had visited Kvartal prior to the admission in

the course of a "sightseeing tour" organized by social workers.

The 15-day rehab course was to comprise several stages:

Motivation, diagnostic, rehabilitation and preparation for discharge.

After the discharge from the inpatient department, the

teenagers were to receive individual psychological advice within the

"! '! " m m "! framework of the daytime center operations.

The purpose of the motivation stage (working with the psychologist

and psychotherapist) was to get an understanding of the center's

internal regulations, formulate the teenagers' needs and the center's

24 Ml № <)VV \ RAILWAY STATION CHILDREN

"WORKING Will I VOI I'll AT RISK" series. Issue Hi

capacity, motivate the teenagers to take part in the program and subsequently

adopt the values of healthy living.

The diagnostic stage comprised medical and psychological examination

and compiling an individual rehabilitation program.

Bearing in mind the children's way of life, their poor physical condition,

the absence of regular medical assistance, the center's doctors

were trying to provide a maximum of diagnostic, consulting and medical

services often exceeding the scope of standard medical assistance

programs lor drug addicts. The examination included lab diagnostics,

consultations by a pediatrician, neurologist, phthisiotherapist. FGG,

FFG. abdominal ultrasound and fluorography. As a result, the doctors

identified I case of hepatitis G. I case of bubonadenitis, I case of conjunctivitis

and 2 cases of acute respiratory disease.

I nfortiinately. only two of the nine teenagers admitted to the center

have completed the rehab course (with yet another girl currently

undergoing treatment). One of the two teenagers, after spending 50

days at the inpatient department, got a farm job with the assistance of

an MSF social worker. On the average, the teenagers stayed al the

inpatient department for no longer than 10-18 days (with two leaving

on the second day). Three of those who interrupted the initial rehab

course later returned to the center.

All children had psychopathologic changes (one or both of their

parents had suffered from alcoholism). 6 teenagers were orphans

raised in boarding schools.

All the patients started to use psychoactive substances wheirthey

were 7-10 years old. seven started with inhaling glue vapors, the other

two initially were using alcohol.

Three had a criminal record, two of them did time in prison.

At first the patients were reluctant to communicate with the center's

staff and reticent. Many children had a similar behavior pattern:

turning their faces to the wall and hiding the head under the pillow.

In general, the teenagers had trouble coining to terms with the

department's internal regulations and attempted to make their own

laws, some behaved aggressively, extorted cigarettes and food,

attempted to bully younger children, demonstrated disrespect to the

department's staff. However, during the second hospitalization theywere trying to behave adequately (less swearing and attempts to violate

the regime).

Psychological testing of all 7 patients (2 left the center on the second

day) revealed hypomnesia, reduced cogitativity, reduced working

capacity and a short span of attention. Six patients displayed low selfesteem,

petulance, a feeling of loneliness. Only 2 of the patients

revealed a higher than usual level of aggression.

One of the basic problems relative to interacting with the children

was the absence of any aspirations. Initially, some of the teenagers did

express their wish "to kick the habit", however, most of them had no

motivation to change their way of life. Frequently, they acted in the

hope of "getting some rest and lots oi sleep".

Some children avoided contact with psychologists, showed little interest

towards individual and group psychotherapeutic sessions, were reticent

or were trying to degrade the topics being discussed by the group.

After a discussion of the problem with the MSF center staff, it was

resolved that the center's internal regulations would be explained to

prospective patients before they decide on possible hospitalization.

Path to Home Shelter

An extract from a report by Tatiaiia Kharybina (Director oj the

Rath to Home shelter)

Three children were referred by social workers as a result of field

assignments done in conjunction with the MSI:

• Boudanova, Olesya, dale of birth: July 3. 1 992

• Boudanov, Dennis, date of birth: July 3, 1992

• Potanina. Valentina. date of birth: November 2Л, 1991.

The Boudanovs.

Originally from Elektrostahl (Moscow region), the family consisted

of the mother, stepfather, elder sister, brother and grandmother.

The children went to a local boarding-school where they stayed for 5

davs a week. Dennis is very attached to his sister Olesya. In the last

1.5 years, the girl's relations with her mother have become strained,

she alleges that her mother doesn't love her. The girl prefers to think

vi(ISI:< WTS RAIIVVAV STATION CHILDREN

WORKING WITH VOI III AT RISK" scries. Issue III

of herself as an adult, she likes freedom and flirting, tries to be the

locus of attention and spends most of her time on the street, which

displeases her mother. After a routine scandal, the girl ran away from

home and headed for Moscow. Alter coming back, she made peace

with her mother but ran away again after the next quarrel. Dennis supports

his sister and regularly accompanies her in her trips. When we

first saw them at a Moscow railway station, it was Olesya's seventh

escape from home and Dennis' — third.

The brother and sister stood out from other homeless children.

When offered to go to the shelter, they quickly agreed.

Initially the children reported that they had been suffering from

physical and psychological abuse. Despite' their allegations of having

been disciplined with an implement less than 2 days before their arrival

to the shelter, medical examination revealed no sings of a beating. The

findings of psychological testing and further work with the children did

not confirm the allegations of physical abuse. Teachers from the children's

hometown boarding school also denied any knowledge of physical

abuse, saying that the mother did care about her children (they were

always neatly dressed), but paid little attention to them because of her

preoccupation with her work. We asked the boarding school head-master

to inform the mother about the children's whereabouts.

The arrival of the mother and other relatives (an uncle, an aunt and

I he granny) came as a surprise to everyone. The mother demanded

that her children are returned home. Speaking to the children, we

emphasized that they did have a choice and they would go back home

only if they agreed to. We also explained to the mother that we would

protect the children's rights. The children were free to choose between

staying with us, returning home or returning to their boarding school.

The family reunion went pretty well. After a long conversation, the

children decided to return home.

After a long discussion, our psychologists convinced the mother to

start visiting a psychologist in her home town.

What has been done:

Initial discussion of the children's problems and impressions of

their behavior on the social workers• Making contact with the children

• Verifying the information and personal data reported by the children

• Gathering information on the children's family

Physical checkup, daily observation by the center's doctors

• Regular sessions with the psychologist, testing to verily allegations

of physical abuse, etc.

•.Modeling of various family situations with the psychologist

• Review of the data gathered and coordination of the treatment

course

• Gontact with the boarding school, verification oi the children's

identity

Verification of the children's home address

Cooperation with the Elektrostahl-based bodies in charge oi custodian

care

• Gontact with the family.

Vlada Potanina

Vlada is an orphan and used to live in Ukraine, at boarding school

in the city of Kertch. Emotionally unbalanced, quick-tempered, resentful,

likes traveling and believes that moving to another place would be

a change lor the better. Although she has a grandmother living in

Kertch, according to the girl, the relationship with her is strained. Vlada

remembers her parents' stories about her aunt living in Irkutsk and an

uncle in Yakutsk. The girl decided to find them and ran away from the

boarding school. She crossed the Russian border on her own and

arrived to Moscow hoping to get to Irkutsk. After spending a few days

at a railway station, she was spotted by social workers lioni the NAN

Foundation and MSI". After discussing the situation, we offered to the

girl to stay at the shelter until we locate her aunt's address and contact

the aunt. The address was subsequently located but in a phone conversation

the aunt told us she could not take care of the girl because she's

divorced and had raise a little daughter. The aunt promised to maintain

regular contact with her niece by mail and possibly come to see her.

,\(IRKINI i WITH VOI I i I VI RISb

We were unable to find any of the girl's relatives in Yakutsk since

she only knew her uncle's first name.

While at the shelter. Vlada look some classes, got around Moscow

and actively participated in the activities of the shelter's children. After

.1 while, the girl started missing her brother and her home town. As

soon as we received all necessary documents from the boarding school

and the I 'krainian embassy. MSI" people helped us return the girl to

Kertch. I Ikraine.

What has been done:

Initial discussion of the girl's problems and impressions of her

behavior on the social workers

Making contact with the girl

Verifying the information and personal data reported by the girl

Gathering information on the girl's family

• Physical checkup, daily observation by the center's doctors

Regular sessions with the psychologist, testing

Individual classes

Review of the data gathered and coordination of the treatment

course

• Gontact with the boarding school, verification of the girl's identity

Gathering information on the relatives

• Gontact with the relatives.

An advantage of the Path to I Ionic shelter is that children can be

idmitted there without having to go to a resented hospital.

Once the child is admitted, street workers continue cominunicatngwith

him, thus facilitating his adaptation process.

 

SURVEY RESULTS

A total of 159 questionnaires were colluded from:

- 71 homeless children

- 88 neglected children

Gender-related aspects of teenagers' behavior are different and

should be taken into account by social workers.

Both boys and girls run away from something and are looking for

something. The most frequent reason for running away is psychological

or physical (including sexual) abuse no matter where and why it

occurs - at home (with the parents not necessarily being alcoholics),

at a state-run institution where the child was placed after loss of a parent,

etc.

Often the reason for running away is the feeling of desolation and

neglect when the parents have no time for loving their child.

A typical example:

Two neglected girls, both from a single-parent family, hangout at

Tushinskaya subway station. Their mothers work for a living, one as a

cleaner at several locations, the other — as a sales rep of a large company.

In both cases, most of the mothers' time is devoted to breadwinning

while both girls hang out on the street and experiment with

volatile compounds (adhesive, varnish).

30 Ml I» I iW"s RAILWAY STATION CHILDREN
Due to their age, the kids can't plan the future, in a conflict with the

adult world they SUFFER and they RUN AWAY, typically without any

plan. They simply hope that Tl IFRF they'll fare better. But when they

see the same violence and indifference at a new place, they break down

and start learning to live without feelings, reluctant to let adults into

their lives and associating adults with 2 things - harm and money.

Therefore, gender-related aspects determine the following trends

in the teenagers' behavior:

Most girls speak of their desire to have a family of their own.

I lowever, having no experience of valid relationship they can substitute

sex for a family. Looking for love and support, in reality they get a

surrogate of sex and become disappointed in human relationships.

Three girls from the group are pregnant (in February, we helped one of

I hem to leave for Ryazhsk where her brother lives). Three girls are

already mothers; one of them manages to live on the street with her

baby, while the babies of the other two girls were placed at state-run

institutions.

The most important thing for boys is "achievement", a feeling of

I'ling able to take care of himself. Looking for independence, they lose

I he opportunity for legal socialization because the state-run custody

system leaves the child with no choice. The system doesn't care where

lhe child wants to live, what profession he wants to learn, etc. With no

documents and chased by the police, the teenager can make his living

mostly by criminal activity.
With rare exception, the children sutler from dependency on a

combination of several substances depending on their accessibility,

popularity in a given group, etc.

Substance popularity

Alcohol 36%
Those who want to change something, have a very vague idea of

any possible alternative and often are incapable of clearly formulating

I heir wishes, they typically can say what they wish had never happened

i like parents' drinking, mother's death, domestic violence, etc.).

Those unwilling to change anything are either neglected children

who haven't yet faced serious trouble resulting from their substance

abuse or asocial way of life — because their parents keep "saving"
CONCLUSIONS MADE BY THE NAN SOCIAL SERVICE

The primary target audience is the children who have been living on

the street for less than a year. I.ong-term activities should be structured

so that the program would first take care of the "newcomers" and afterwards

organize psychological correction for the street veterans.

Deprivation of parents' rights does not resolve the issue of dysfunctional

families, only transferring the problem to another dimension.

As already mentioned before, children run away for different reasons.

Adults finding themselves in a similar situation would normally lile a

lawsuit, call the police and so on. The basic difference is thai a child fleeing

from abuse or violence automatically becomes an outlaw finding

himself between the devil and the deep sea: on the one hand, a rigid

state-run system regarding the kid not as a CITIZEN but as a CHILL)

to be returned to the environment that abused him. and on the other

hand, charity organizations preoccupied only with ensuring the child's

biological needs where the child runs the risk of being abused again.

As already mentioned, the mere provision of food and clothing

accustoms the teenagers to welfare, a reluctance to do anything even