The concept of dangerous and emergency situations of social origin. Control over the behavior of a teenager Underage control over the behavior
§ 2 The concept of adolescent neglect as a social phenomenon
Political scientists, sociologists and jurists of our time refer to child homelessness and neglect as social diseases characteristic of any civilized state, including Russia, directly related to the political and economic development of the country, the functioning of its legal system. The reasons for its emergence and spread lie both in the legal and socio-political aspects of the functioning of the state, and in national family traditions, in the degree of development of public morality, as well as the social security of the institution of the family and each individual citizen of the state. In this regard, this phenomenon requires in-depth study by various specialists (lawyers, jurists, political scientists, sociologists, psychologists, teachers).
The first most complete official definition of homelessness can be found in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, published in 1930: “Homeless children are minors deprived of pedagogical supervision and care and living in conditions that adversely affect their social manifestations and health. Homeless should be considered not only children who have lost their parents (or guardians) and home. If parents (or guardians) deprive children of food, treat them rudely, seduce them into crimes, corrupt them by their own example, the children of such parents are also considered homeless.
The term "neglect" in combination with child homelessness appeared in official documents and legislative acts only from 1935. During the years of the Great Patriotic War Both terms were also used in government decrees, but their definitions were not in the legislative acts of that time.
Due attention is not paid to the differences between the concepts of child homelessness and neglect in the current legislation.
For example, in the Regulations on Commissions for Juvenile Affairs (1967) in force today, the term neglect is used. The regulation stipulates that one of the main tasks of the commissions on juvenile affairs is the prevention of child neglect (Article 1). However, this concept has not been defined. The term “homelessness” is not mentioned at all in this Regulation, despite the fact that the placement of minors and the protection of their rights (including the right to housing, provided for in Article 40 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, the right of a child to live and be raised in a family, provided for in Article 54 Family Code of the Russian Federation) are also listed among the priorities of the commission. Thus, the Regulations on Commissions for Juvenile Affairs not only do not pay due attention to the conceptual apparatus, but also the terms "homelessness" and "neglect" are merged.
These concepts are not in the codified legal acts regulating the rights and obligations of minors (for example, in the Family Code, in the Code of Administrative Offenses, the Criminal Code).
For the first time in the legislation, the definitions of the concepts of "homelessness" and "neglect" were introduced by the Federal Law of June 24, 1999 "On the fundamentals of the system for the prevention of neglect and juvenile delinquency." Article 1 "Basic Concepts" contains the following definitions:
“neglected - a minor whose behavior is not controlled due to non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of duties for his upbringing, education and (or) maintenance by parents or legal representatives or officials;
homeless - neglected, without a place of residence and (or) place of stay.
Thus, the Law defines the line between the concepts of "homeless" and "neglected", which is the presence of a place of residence (stay). However, despite the fact that both terms are present in the said Law, there is no emphasis on the differences in preventive measures for these two categories of minors.
There is still a lack of clear boundaries between these definitions, not only in legislative acts, but also in modern legal literature. In addition, in recent years, the term “neglect” has become more widespread, combining both concepts.
So, for example, in the work of Doctor of Law, Professor E.B. Melnikova, homeless and neglected children are united in the general category of the neglected. Moreover, the following classification of child neglect is proposed:
Completely deprived of parental care and in distress, requiring urgent assistance and protection;
Partially deprived of parental care, not requiring the use of urgent measures of assistance and protection, but in need of improving the conditions of their life and upbringing;
Not deprived of parental care, but in connection with the conflict situations in which adolescents find themselves, and the presence of visible signs of neglect in their lives and behavior, in need of observation of them and pedagogical influence and assistance.
The confusion of the concepts of "neglect" and "homelessness" is characteristic not only of numerous studies devoted to various aspects of juvenile delinquency. It also occurs in official government documents.
Due to the fact that neither in the current legislation, nor in the documents of state bodies responsible for the social and legal protection of this category of minors, nor in the legal literature, there is a clear designation of these concepts, before talking about the origin of child homelessness and neglect, within the framework of this research needs to clearly distinguish between these terms.
As rightly noted in the legal literature, speaking about the mismatch between the terms "homeless" and "neglected", it should be borne in mind that neglect is mainly determined using the rules of pedagogy. It is no coincidence that its essence and signs are included in the sphere of study of pedagogical science, which paid attention to the correctly understood supervision of a minor, which does not come down to controlling his behavior, pastime, but consists in maintaining, maintaining an internal spiritual connection with a child, adolescent. Such a connection that allows maintaining, even at a distance, the contact of parents replacing them with their pupil. The absence of just such supervision is especially dangerous for the easily vulnerable psyche of the child, forcing him to join the ranks of homeless children. Thus, there is a strong connection between neglect and homelessness, since neglect serves as fertile ground for homelessness.
In domestic legal science, homelessness and neglect are usually considered as stages of one process, one "social disease". As noted back in the 20s of the twentieth century, P.I. Lyublinsky, speaking of homelessness, it, "being like a long illness, goes through several stages or phases of its development." The initial phase of this social disease is neglect, and the final stage, which is on the verge of irreversibility, is homelessness as such, which determines the position of the minor himself, his peculiar social status, which he acquires at his own request or due to a combination of any circumstances.
The most complete distinguishing characteristic of homelessness from neglect was given by Doctor of Law A.M. Nechaeva. According to the author, the distinguishing features that make it possible to consider a child neglected include:
Complete cessation of all communication with the family, parents, relatives;
Living in places not intended for human habitation;
Obtaining a livelihood in ways not recognized in society (begging, theft, etc.);
Submission to the "unwritten" laws dictated by the authority recognized among the homeless.
The main distinguishing feature of a homeless child from a street child is not so much the presence (absence) of a place of residence (stay), but the complete cessation of ties with the family, parents, relatives, guardians. It is not entirely correct to classify only street children who do not have a place of residence (place of stay), as provided for in Article 1 of the Federal Law of 1999 No. 120-FZ, as homeless. As noted by A.M. Nechaev, “if a poor vagrant who does not have a permanent place of residence “travels” with his children, they, in our opinion, cannot be considered homeless children, despite the fact that, as a rule, there is no quality supervision over them.” We agree with the opinion that it would be most correct to classify such children as neglected.
On the other hand, according to law enforcement agencies, in modern Russia a category of homeless children has appeared, closely connected with the criminal world, who can afford to rent quite comfortable housing. Such children who have no connection with their families and guardians should, in our opinion, be classified as homeless, despite the presence of a place of residence that meets the sanitary and hygienic conditions of the child, since these children are practically deprived of social protection from the family or guardianship authorities.
These are, in general terms, the features that characterize the concept of "children's homelessness" from a legal and socio-political point of view.
It should be noted one more significant from a legal point of view, the distinguishing feature of child homelessness from neglect.
The place of residence (stay) of a neglected child, as a rule, is not difficult to establish. At the same time, measures of social protection for this category of minors can be the deprivation or restriction of parental rights of parents, the deprivation of a guardian who does not perform his duties in relation to the child properly, guardianship, the placement of the child in places of social protection (orphanage, shelter, boarding school), where elementary conditions of existence will be provided.
The transition of a minor to the category of homeless children does not entail the termination of family legal relations. All the rights and obligations of parents under family law, retain their strength. But it is not possible to implement them, because the fate of the child is not known. Therefore, it is not possible to file a claim for deprivation of parental rights, and even more so for their restriction, which is combined with the removal of children from their parents. Thus, the homeless child is actually deprived of all the rights provided by domestic legislation in relation to minors.
Children deprived of the supervision of their elders, as a rule, are socially distinguished also by the fact that they do not have their own sources of livelihood. This situation forces them to get them by any available means. This is not only the search for food in landfills and other similar places, but also the theft of money and food. Begging is also a common means of obtaining food and money.
As noted in the report of the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Affairs, dedicated to child homelessness, what distinguishes street children from street children is the fact that they break all connection with society. Becoming a homeless child, a minor falls into a kind of social vacuum. For him, there are no laws that are intended for other citizens. Moreover, excluded from the life of society, many homeless teenagers despise the norms accepted in it. As stated in the report of the Independent Commission on International Humanitarian Affairs “Street Children”, “they live according to the unwritten laws of the society where they enter, where it is encouraged, recognized that is alien to human society, where there is their own morality, their own truth, their own authorities, sometimes endowed with unlimited power."
But, as A.M. Nechaev, “this does not mean at all that neglected children, separating themselves from civil society, become an alien body for it. Rather, on the contrary, the desire to save them is explained not only by the danger posed by the neglected, but also by the desire to help those whom fate has doomed to life in inhuman conditions.
Adolescent neglect is a complex socio-pedagogical problem, which includes a socio-pedagogical analysis of this phenomenon, the reasons that significantly affect neglect, the need for prevention and overcoming its consequences.
The effectiveness of preventive activities is ensured by the interaction of all stakeholders at the place of residence. The interaction is based on the integration of the efforts of the subjects of prevention of teenage neglect, which consists in coordinated activities (in time, place, solving preventive tasks, etc.) within the framework of the functional purpose of each of them, aimed at overcoming the problems of a teenager and his family (objects of influence), and creating the most favorable conditions for the appropriate education, spiritual, moral and physical development of adolescents.
Thus, neglect of children still continues to be one of the most disturbing characteristics of modern Russian society.
According to government experts, there are now about 1 million street children in the country, with 90% of them with living parents. The number of adults deprived of parental rights is increasing every year.
According to the statistical report on the work of the territorial commission for minors and the protection of their rights of the Serov urban district for the first half of 2007:
The number of minors in the territory is total - 19731
Identified homeless / neglected - 189
Representatives of their territory - 103
From other territories of the region - 79
From other subjects of the Russian Federation and states of near and far abroad - 7
According to the analysis of socio-pedagogical work for the 2006-2007 academic year, out of the total number of students
172 - boarding school №5 Serov
68 - risk group families
15 - students in a socially dangerous situation
7 - prone to vagrancy
12 - committed a crime
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General characteristics of children at risk.
1 neglected - a minor whose behavior is not controlled due to non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of duties for his upbringing, education and (or) maintenance on the part of parents or legal representatives or officials;
2 homeless - homeless, without a place of residence and (or) place of stay.
Those who, due to various circumstances, permanently live on the street. These are children who live on the street for more than one month;
those who occasionally live on the street. The life of these children on the street is usually limited to a period of a few days to a few weeks. Children of this category find themselves on the street during regular binges of parents of alcoholics, family conflicts, as well as carried away by street romance, in which they are quickly disappointed;
· those who live (sleep) at home, but meet their basic needs on the street. The last category of children is characterized by the fact that they spend a significant part of the day on the street, returning home only to spend the night. These children, for the most part, have long since left school, and are registered with the police and the Commission on Juvenile Affairs (KDN).
Today in the Russian Federation, not a single department has accurate data on the number of street children. Even state statistics on their number is not available today. Expert estimates of the scale of homelessness and neglect vary considerably: from 500,000 homeless and neglected children in total (according to the estimates of the Ministry of Education) to 5 million homeless children alone (according to the estimates of the Federation Council Committee on Security and Defense).
The very first sign of neglect is the systematic non-attendance by children of educational institutions, which is a direct consequence of the lack of parental control. In 2004, as a result of a monitoring study in the Moscow Region, it was revealed that more than 65% of families of adolescents lack parental control. The irresponsible position of parents pushes teenagers to indiscriminate friendly contacts and through them to join deviant group behavior.
Often, it is the parents who provoke the departure of children from home and thereby increase child homelessness. According to experts, about 50,000 children leave home every year in Russia. Their departure is associated with various forms of violence and abuse against them by adult family members.
In general, street children are not particularly different from ordinary children. Their needs for security, love, understanding, etc. - the same as in "home" children. The difference is that these needs are satisfied to a lesser extent. Going outside is caused, first of all, by the search for unsatisfied needs: the desire to find an environment where it is safe, where he will be accepted as he is, listened to, and helped. The association of homeless children in groups allows them to solve many everyday and psychological problems: housing, food, security, communication, mutual assistance. These groups are somewhat reminiscent of psychotherapeutic groups, allowing their members to some extent resolve their psychological problems.
FZ 120. Basic concepts. minor - a person who has not reached the age of eighteen years; neglected - a minor whose behavior is not controlled due to non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of duties for his upbringing, education and (or) maintenance by parents or other legal representatives or officials;
Homeless - neglected, without a place of residence and (or) place of stay; a minor in a socially dangerous position - a person who, due to neglect or homelessness, is in an environment that poses a danger to his life or health or does not meet the requirements for his upbringing or maintenance, or commits an offense or anti-social actions;
A family in a socially dangerous situation is a family with children in a socially dangerous situation, as well as a family where parents or other legal representatives of minors do not fulfill their duties for their upbringing, education and (or) maintenance and (or) negatively influence their behavior or abuse them;
Individual preventive work - activities for the timely identification of minors and families in a socially dangerous situation, as well as for their social and pedagogical rehabilitation and (or) prevention of their committing offenses and antisocial actions;
Prevention of neglect and delinquency of minors - a system of social, legal, pedagogical and other measures aimed at identifying and eliminating the causes and conditions that contribute to neglect, homelessness, delinquency and antisocial actions of minors, carried out in conjunction with individual preventive work with minors and families in socially dangerous position;
1. Bodies and institutions of the system for the prevention of neglect and juvenile delinquency carry out individual preventive work in relation to minors. 2. Bodies and institutions of the system for the prevention of neglect and juvenile delinquency carry out individual preventive work in relation to parents or other legal representatives of minors if they do not fulfill their duties for their upbringing, education and (or) maintenance and (or) negatively influence their behavior or treat them harshly. 3. Individual preventive work with persons who are not specified in paragraphs 1 and 2 of this article may be carried out if it is necessary to prevent delinquency or to provide social assistance and (or) rehabilitation of minors with the consent of the head of the body or institution of the system for the prevention of neglect and delinquency of minors
Article 6. Grounds for carrying out individual preventive work 1) an application by a minor or his parents or other legal representatives to provide them with assistance on issues within the competence of bodies and institutions of the system for the prevention of neglect and juvenile delinquency; 2) a judgment, ruling or ruling of a court; 3) a decision of the commission on affairs of minors and the protection of their rights, the prosecutor, investigator, the body of inquiry or the head of the body of internal affairs; 4) documents defined by this Federal Law as grounds for the placement of minors in institutions for the prevention of neglect and juvenile delinquency; 5) conclusion approved by the head of the body or institution of the system for the prevention of neglect and juvenile delinquency, based on the results of the verification of complaints, statements or other messages
Bodies and institutions of the system for the prevention of neglect and delinquency of minors, within their competence, are obliged to ensure the observance of the rights and legitimate interests of minors, to protect them from all forms of discrimination, physical or mental violence, insult, abuse, sexual and other exploitation, to identify minors and families, who are in a socially dangerous situation, as well as immediately inform: 1) the prosecutor's office - about the violation of the rights and freedoms of minors; 2) the commission on affairs of minors and the protection of their rights - on identified cases of violation of the rights of minors to education, work, rest, housing and other rights, as well as on shortcomings in the activities of bodies and institutions that impede the prevention of neglect and delinquency of minors;
3) the body of guardianship and guardianship - on the identification of minors left without the care of parents or other legal representatives or who are in an environment that poses a threat to their life, health or hinders their upbringing; 4) the governing body of social protection of the population - on the identification of minors in need of state assistance in connection with neglect or homelessness, as well as on the identification of families in a socially dangerous situation; 5) the internal affairs body - on the identification of the parents of minors or their other legal representatives and other persons who abuse minors and (or) involve them in the commission of a crime or antisocial acts or commit other illegal acts against them, as well as minors, committed an offense or antisocial acts;
6) the health management body - on the identification of minors in need of examination, observation or treatment in connection with the use of alcoholic and alcohol-containing products, beer and drinks made on its basis, narcotic drugs, psychotropic or intoxicating substances; 7) the education management body - on the identification of minors who need state assistance in connection with unauthorized departure from orphanages, boarding schools and other children's institutions or in connection with the termination of classes for unexcused reasons educational institutions; 8) the body for youth affairs - on the identification of minors who are in a socially dangerous situation and in this regard in need of assistance in organizing recreation, leisure, employment.
3. The information specified in paragraph 2 of this article shall be stored and used in a manner that ensures its confidentiality. 4. Officials, parents of minors or their other legal representatives and other persons shall be liable for violation of the rights of minors, as well as for failure to perform or improper performance of duties for their upbringing, education and (or) maintenance in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation and the legislation of the constituent entities Russian Federation.
The main activities of educational authorities and educational institutions 1. control compliance with the law 2. carry out measures to develop a network of special educational institutions of open and closed type of education authorities. 3. participate in the organization summer holidays, leisure and employment of minors;
4. keep records of minors who do not attend or systematically miss classes in educational institutions for disrespectful reasons; 5. develop and introduce into the practice of the work of educational institutions programs and methods aimed at the formation of law-abiding behavior of minors 6. create psychological, medical and pedagogical commissions
1) provide socio-psychological and pedagogical assistance to minors with developmental or behavioral deviations or learning problems; 2) identify minors who are in a socially dangerous situation, as well as those who do not attend or systematically miss classes in educational institutions for disrespectful reasons, take measures to educate them and receive basic general education; 3) identify families in a socially dangerous situation and provide them with assistance in the education and upbringing of children; 4) ensure the organization of public sports sections, technical and other circles, clubs in educational institutions and the involvement of minors in them; 5) carry out measures to implement programs and methods aimed at shaping the law-abiding behavior of minors.
Neglect - lack of attention to the child Asocial manifestations - foul language, smoking, hooliganism, missing lessons Addiction - a tendency to use psychoactive substances Children of the "risk group" belong to the category of children who find themselves in a "socially dangerous situation".
Categories of maladjusted children: Difficult children and teenagers. The level of maladaptation in them is close to normal, it is due to the peculiarities of temperament, the presence of mild brain dysfunctions, impaired attention, insufficiency of age development, and the peculiarities of the socio-psychological and pedagogical situation of upbringing and development. Nervous children who, due to age-related immaturity of the emotional sphere, are unable to independently cope with difficult experiences caused by their relationships with parents and other significant people.
Difficult teenagers who do not know how to solve their problems in a socially acceptable way, characterized by internal conflicts, accentuations, unstable emotional and volitional spheres, personality changes that, under the influence of family environment, upbringing, and the immediate environment, become clearly expressed and irreversible over time. Frustrated teenagers. They are characterized by stable forms of self-destructive behavior that is dangerous for their health (drug addiction, substance abuse, alcoholism, etc.), spiritual and moral development(sexual deviations, domestic theft), future social status (study dropout, vagrancy), life (suicidal tendencies). Adolescents-delinquents, balancing on the verge of permitted and illegal behavior that is not consistent with socially acceptable ideas about good and evil.
Deviant behavior is behavior that is in the nature of a deviation from the norms accepted in society. Most often this is a deviation from legal and moral norms. Delinquent behavior occurs when deviant behavior goes beyond the law and manifests itself in criminal actions.
• neglected is a minor whose behavior is not controlled due to non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of duties for his upbringing, education and / or maintenance on the part of parents or legal representatives or officials;
Homeless is a homeless person who does not have a place of residence and / or a place of stay;
A minor in a socially dangerous situation is a person under the age of 18 who, due to neglect or homelessness, is in an environment that poses a danger to his life or health or does not meet the requirements for his upbringing or maintenance, or commits an offense or antisocial actions.
Today in the Russian Federation, not a single department has accurate data on the number of homeless children. The maximum estimate was given by the Committee of the Federation Council on Security and Defense - from 2 to 5 million street children, the minimum - by the Ministry of Education of the Russian Federation - from 100 to 500 thousand street and homeless children. According to the estimates of the Russian Ministry of Labor, there are about 1 million street children in the country.
Human potential is the main wealth of any state. Therefore, child homelessness and neglect are considered as indicators of the state of Russia's national security. The spread of these social phenomena contains an obvious threat to the normal development of the state, since it contributes to the growth of crime, drug addiction, an increase in the number of diseases, reduces labor productivity, and undermines the moral foundations of society. Homelessness and neglect of children is a threat to the future of Russia, since the prospects for the development of the state directly depend on the physical health, moral upbringing and education of the younger generation.
The main reason for the emergence and growth of homelessness and neglect is the difficult socio-economic situation in the country: family breakdown, alcoholism and drug addiction, unemployment, poor social support for low-income families from the state. However, it can be assumed that even after overcoming the economic crisis, the problems associated with homelessness will still remain.
Also, child homelessness is closely related to social orphanhood, in the last two years alone, the number of parents deprived of parental rights has quadrupled. The federal law "On additional guarantees for the social support of orphans and children left without parental care" contains norms that ensure the priority protection of the interests of children and orphans and children left without parental care in the field of health care, education, employment, housing rights , but its provisions, unfortunately, are not enforced.
Also, one of the main reasons for this phenomenon was the destruction of the state infrastructure for the socialization and public education of children without the formation of a new effective structure for the socialization and leisure of children in the conditions of market relations. The number has significantly decreased, the payment has increased and the accessibility for families of preschool institutions, educational institutions, children's art houses, children's sanatoriums, cultural centers, sports institutions, museums, family recreation and leisure facilities and summer recreation for children, music and art schools has decreased. The abolition of compulsory secondary general education and the commercialization of vocational education played a negative role.
Another reason for neglect is the crisis of families: the growth of poverty, the deterioration of living conditions and the destruction of moral values and the educational potential of families.
A new system of commercial and criminal exploitation of child neglect has been formed. Children's drug addiction and alcoholism are growing, children are involved in criminal communities.
The mass media that openly and covertly promote sexual permissiveness, pornography, violence, crime, and drug addiction often have an adverse effect on the socialization of children. The repertoires of children's theaters and cinemas have changed, as well as the policy of publishing books for children. The worst examples of foreign morality and culture are often cultivated in the children's and youth environment.
Currently, government agencies are taking certain measures to solve the problems considered in the work, for example:
· Today, more than a hundred normative legal acts on family and childhood issues have been adopted in the country and, which is important, are in force;
· Special programs are being created to prevent child neglect. So, for example, in order to change the situation, the Federal Law “On additional guarantees for social support for orphans and children left without parental care” was developed and adopted, aimed at forming the foundations for a comprehensive solution to the problems of preventing neglect and juvenile delinquency, their social rehabilitation.
In 1999, the Federal Law “On the Fundamentals of the System for the Prevention of Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency” came into force. However, due to the unsettledness of some issues in this law, serious difficulties arise in its enforcement. It is important to equalize the rights of minors in difficult life situations and those who need emergency social assistance from the state.
The existing system in Russia for organizing the solution of the problem of prevention of neglect and delinquency of minors, their social rehabilitation, the absence of a special body responsible for the development and implementation of their comprehensive solution, has long been alarming. It is necessary to state the low efficiency of the various efforts of various departments and state institutions to solve this problem. Purposeful work is required to improve the activities of public organizations involved in homeless children.
In recent months, the problem of child homelessness has been in the center of attention of the President of the Russian Federation, legislative and executive bodies of state power, well-known political and public figures of the country and the media.
Common efforts of all branches of government and coordination of these efforts are needed to develop a strategy at the state level. There should also be structures responsible for strategic planning of activities, analytical work, execution, and most importantly control over the final result.
The problem of neglect is a long-term problem, the solution of which will require painstaking joint work of government, law enforcement, public, educational and other structures.
The main direction of solving the problem of street children is a system of preventive and preventive measures. With this approach, the main focus of influence should be shifted to work with the family. Moreover, this work should also remain comprehensive and include measures of social (including material), psychological, pedagogical and legal assistance. People who take on the mission of working with street children and children of the "risk group" must fully meet the totality of the qualities of a mature personality. And these qualities are love, responsibility and care. Also, professionalism.
The Federal Law of the Russian Federation dated June 24, 1999 No. 120-FZ “On the Fundamentals of the System for the Prevention of Neglect and Juvenile Delinquency” offers the following definitions: neglected a minor is recognized, whose behavior is not controlled due to non-fulfillment or improper fulfillment of duties for his upbringing, education and (or) maintenance by parents or legal representatives or officials; homeless- this is the same neglected person, but having no place of residence and (or) place of stay.
Neglect is the lack of supervision (control) over a child, a teenager. At the same time, it does not matter due to what circumstances - objective or subjective - this supervision is absent. In any case, we are talking about the behavior of persons obliged to supervise the child (family, guardians, social workers). And homelessness is in a completely different plane. This is a characteristic of the position of a minor in the family and society, his social status. Unfortunately, a child can acquire such a status both at his own request and due to a combination of any circumstances. Neglect prevails among them, i.e. lack of supervision (control) on the part of parents or persons replacing them.
A neglected child, unlike a homeless child, as a rule, lives under the same roof with his parents, retains ties with his family, he still has an emotional attachment to one of the family members, but these ties are fragile and are in danger of atrophy and destruction. Left to themselves, children abandon their studies, give their free time to the street, to aimless pastime. Neglect of children is often the first step towards homelessness, social maladaptation, destruction of the normal process of socialization of the child.
The neglected include children and adolescents: those who have lost family and family ties; abandoned by parents or arbitrarily left families that did not provide the child with the minimum necessary conditions for life and full development, which allowed cruel treatment of them; runaways from boarding schools; graduates of boarding schools who found themselves without work and livelihoods; engaged in vagrancy, begging; committing petty theft; drinking alcohol, toxic and narcotic substances; received a reprieve from serving a sentence; who are victims of sexual crimes; involved in illegal activities, sentenced on probation, etc. - a total of 14 categories.
The hallmarks of homelessness include: a complete cessation of all communication with the family, parents, relatives; living in places not intended for human habitation; acquiring funds to ensure life in ways that are not recognized by society as socially positive; obedience to caste criminal laws prescribed to homeless children by "authorities". The absence of their own housing usually turns homeless children into vagabonds, wandering from place to place. The combination of all the above features distinguishes a homeless child from other children.
Homelessness is often associated with illegal behavior. Street children do not have parental or state care, permanent residence, age-appropriate positive activities, necessary care, systematic education and developmental education.
Among vagrant, homeless teenagers, depending on the length of their stay in the street environment, three levels are distinguished.
The first level includes adolescents who have been on the street for less than a month. They have not yet had time to adapt in this world, they have not lost hope of returning to their families (especially younger teenagers). They try to make a living - begging, collecting bottles, sometimes stealing from drunkards.
The second level includes adolescents who have been on the street for more than a month (sometimes up to a year). As a rule, they were exposed to an additional risk of abuse and violence after running away from home or an institution. Such adolescents have already gained experience in the use of alcohol, toxic drugs, and often sexual intercourse. The range of their antisocial behavior is significantly expanded in comparison with children of the first level. They prefer stealing to begging.
The third level includes teenagers who left home more than a year ago. Such teenagers have already acquired criminal experience, they are often involved in their activities by various kinds of criminals. The transition of a teenager to this group increases the risk of his socio-psychological deformation and reduces his chances of getting into a social rehabilitation institution. In today's conditions, this group tends to increase.
Homeless and neglected children have a difficult social, medical and psychological-pedagogical status. The conditions in which these children and adolescents live hinder their social, physical, and mental development. Living outside the family or boarding schools, in basements and attics, in unsanitary conditions, without medical care and regular meals undermines the health of children, leads to their social maladjustment, destroys cognitive activity, without which their further socialization is impossible. Children enter social shelters in a state of exhaustion, aggravated by a number of serious diseases. Thus, 70% of homeless children had mental disorders, almost 15% had experience of using drugs and psychotropic substances, they are the most vulnerable in terms of HIV infection. The social and mental development of street children is deformed. They are characterized by a low degree of social normativity, distortion of value orientations, behavioral motives, and a low level of knowledge. Most begin to learn to read only when they get into social rehabilitation institutions.
A medical examination of homeless and neglected children shows that they all have somatic diseases, which are chronic in most of them. Children do not see a doctor for several years, and since they often do not attend kindergartens and schools, they are completely deprived of any medical supervision. There may be deviations in both physical and mental development. Often, mental retardation, distortion of personality development (from the emotional sphere to life perspective), violation of gender identity are detected. This is the source of the tendency to drug addiction and the formation of criminogenic behavior.
Long-term dissatisfaction of the basic mental needs of the child in the family, school, social environment negatively affects his psychological status. Most homeless and neglected children have emotional disorders of varying severity, they are characterized by neurotic reactions, neurosis-like states. The presence of fears, anxiety, sleep disturbance, isolation, aggressiveness, low self-esteem, a violation of trust in people around are noted. Street children have low self-esteem, their actions are often inadequate to the situation, which is due to disappointment in the family and school, they are often impulsive, suffer from a lack of trust, they often have problems choosing a job. Many children do not have the skills of counting, writing, reading, the amount of knowledge and their general outlook are extremely poor. Due to unfavorable life circumstances, these children did not learn to learning activities and mental work. Survival, the search for a piece of bread, the fear of violence, the desire to avoid it come to the fore. They are accustomed to various asocial forms of life: life in basements, attics and garbage dumps, begging, stealing, vagrancy.
Experts identify three main groups of causes of neglect and homelessness of minors:
- 1) socio-economic;
- 2) socio-psychological;
- 3) psychological.
Socio-economic factors include factors that disrupt the working way of life for a long time and deform the life of people. These are the economic crisis, unemployment, famine, epidemics, intensive migration processes due to military conflicts or natural disasters.
Social upheavals throughout the world and in Russia in particular are accompanied by a widespread increase in the number of neglected and homeless children. The current social and political situation in our country is characterized by high instability, low incomes for most families, a decline in production, and a deterioration in the quality of food. The political situation in many regions is tense. By the end of perestroika, as the country's economic situation deteriorated, ethnic conflicts escalated, and the food crisis grew, the number of children left without parental care began to grow. Among them, more and more are chronically ill, due to congenital pathology, due to which parents are asked to leave the child in a children's institution, or poor child care in dysfunctional families, where parents drink, lead an immoral lifestyle, etc.
The reason for the increase in the number of street children is the increase in the number of parents who lost their jobs due to the curtailment of production, the lack of programs to create new jobs, proper funding of social programs and control by law enforcement agencies over compliance with legislation in the field of protecting the interests of children. A certain impact on the development of neglect is also exerted by the curtailment of the infrastructure serving children's recreation, their leisure activities, the commercialization of education and culture, etc.
The socio-psychological causes of neglect and homelessness (they often act as a consequence of socio-economic) are associated with a family crisis, an increase in the number of divorces, the loss of one of the parents, guardianship, the deterioration of the climate in the family, rough treatment of children, physical punishment, sexual, physical and emotional abuse from adults.
The reasons for the growing neglect of children and adolescents are rooted mainly in the living conditions of many Russian families. The difficult financial situation of the majority of the population, the growth of alcoholism and drug addiction, the marginalization of society create serious overload for the family. The number of dysfunctional families is growing, from which children are forced out into the street, becoming homeless, beggars. Every fourth teenager brought to the internal affairs bodies for neglect was engaged in begging. More than 1,500 divorces are registered daily in the Russian Federation, as a result, about 1,300 children are left without one parent. Being born in a dysfunctional family, a child initially does not receive the satisfaction of basic life needs: love, care, attention and participation from others.
The presence of this or that factor does not necessarily mean the occurrence of neglect, but it indicates a greater degree of probability of its occurrence. Thus, the proportion of families with a low subsistence level, alcoholism, drug addiction, immoral lifestyle of parents and emotional alienation between children and parents, family cruelty is quite stable among families of neglected children.
The psychological climate is also deteriorating in stable families. The main reason is the lack of means for a normal existence, the threat of unemployment, malnutrition, rising prices for food, goods, and services. A sharp increase in stressful situations affects children. Lack of care in families, mental deprivation, physical and sexual abuse push children to run away.
Family trouble is the main, but not the only reason for neglect of children. Unemployment of parents and migration processes become additional risk factors for neglect. The aggravated national conflicts and the problem of refugees that appeared along with them put forward a very acute problem of neglect and homelessness of children from refugee families. In addition to a dysfunctional family, the destabilizing factors are undoubtedly the violation of the rights of children in the field of education, vocational training, the slow decision by the guardianship and guardianship authorities of the living arrangements of children left without parental care.
Social factors and medical and psychological features of the development of the personality of a child from a dysfunctional family create certain difficulties for him in the process of studying at school. Such children do not learn the material well, miss classes, conflict with teachers and classmates. The position of the school has become an additional risk factor. With the formal observance of the requirements not to expel a child from school, the teaching staff distanced themselves from adolescents with difficult destinies. Thus, the school can also act as an institution that rejects a problem child, contributing to his neglect. In recent years, there has been a sharp increase in the number of adolescents aged 14-15 who, for various reasons, left general and vocational education institutions and did not start working.
The weakening of work with children at the place of residence (clubs, circles, schoolchildren's rooms, etc.) also played a negative role. A new system has not been created to replace this system, which actually disarms society in the face of child neglect. Poverty in the context of the commercialization of the cultural, educational, sports and recreational sphere has closed children and adolescents from access to developmental activities, reasonable leisure and recreation. The need to find additional income, the return to family life of many types of work previously performed by the service sector, reduced the opportunities for parents to communicate with their children, joint activities, thereby increasing the risk of children falling into pre-criminal groups. Increasing alcohol and drug addiction in many families contributed to the alienation of parents from children, leaving them to themselves, pushing them into street companies with an asocial orientation.
The psychological causes of neglect and homelessness of minors are associated with an increase in the number of children with pronounced anomalies, features of antisocial behavior. Some scientists correlate them with a genetic predisposition. Among the younger generation, such children make up 3-5%.
In real life, the socio-economic, socio-psychological and psychological causes of neglect and homelessness are closely related and complement each other.
