As part of the IBPP program between Russian and the EU, the project “Listening to Children” is run by the charitable organization “Women and Children First”. One of the most important things which this project’s work has achieved in the past year is the creation of the Children’s Social Council, run under the aegis of the Federal Ombudsman for Children’s Rights.

The project’s coordinator, E. Koblik, has said that the members of this council, which includes a number of orphans, are currently preparing for their next scheduled session. The children are running a survey on “Children Against Abuse” in each of their institutions, and forming their own concrete proposals, based on their results, and also attempting to come up with a brand new logo for the Children’s Social Council.

Pavel Astakhov, while supporting the work of the Council, said: “We have set ourselves the task of looking at the world through the eyes of our children, to understand those problems which children feel threatened by. Here is a chance for the children themselves to serve as our best advisors