In Russiathe propaganda in favor of a childless lifestyle could stay prohibited after the approval in the State Duma of a law that ratifies it.
He United Russia ruling party argued that with the reform the traditional and family valuesand will prevent the degradation of the public institutions and will counteract the depopulation.
Those who violate the new law, fines will be around 400 thousand rubles (approximately four thousand 124 dollars) for individualsand up to five million ($51,546) for organizationsincluding companies media, editorialsservices streamingamong others.
Although a small group of legislators opposed the law by ensuring that it will not help resolve the drop in birth rates and that could trigger unfounded complaints, figures such as Vyacheslav Volodinpresident of the Duma, accused the opponents of being against his country.
Another reactionary move by 🇷🇺 Duma, this time to restrict women’s rights with new bill banning “propaganda” for “child-free lifestyle”.
The bill spells disaster for women, media, the arts & online expression. New from @TanyaLokshina https://t.co/EeI5aZFuYv
— Rachel Denber (@Rachel_Denber) October 19, 2024
“He Kremlin should abandon his attempt control people’s private lives and suspend their harmful crusade in favor of ‘traditional values’. Having or not having children is a decision which corresponds to the individualsnot to the Duma politicians,” he declared. Tanya Lokshinadirector associate of Human Rights Watch and representative of the Europe and Central Asia Division.
Andrew Stroehleineditorial and media director for Europe, agrees with Lokshina when he states that no government or politician should tell people whether they have children or not, because these are basic concepts of individual freedom, privacy and non-discriminationwidely understood throughout the world.
According to Lokshina, the deep ambiguity of the term “childless propaganda” will create new opportunities for abusesince people who do not have children for any reason, including fertility problemsthey will face stigma and censorship, since any visual contentaudio or public print will be “purged” of anyone who claims with seriously or even jokingly that there is no problem with not having children.
Fertility rate in Russia on the decline
The ban on propaganda in favor of a life without children was reflected by the decline fertility rate in the country.
According to a report from the United Nations Organization (UN)this 2024 it was recorded that the Fertility rate was 1.45 children per womanwell below the 2.1 necessary to maintain the population levels.
According to United Nationsthe Russian population has peaked and is expected to decline. The estimates suggest that it could decline to between 124 and 130 million in 2100; The current population is just over 144 million.
Holodan independent Russian media outlet, analyzed the causes of the population decline and, citing demographer Aby Shukyurov, explains that the main reason is the natural wear and tear of human beings.
“Although some experts are optimistic that the generation born during the baby boom of 2007 could improve the demographic prospects of RussiaShukyurov believes that this will not be enough to stop the general decline in birth rate“, reads the Russian media.
Another cause that affects demography of Russia is war in ukrainewhich is about to turn three years old next February. While local media recorded that since the conflict began at the end of last June, 12 thousand Russian soldiers had died, The Wall Street Journal calculate that the number rises to 400 thousand.
Policies to prevent migrants from continuing their journey north have not worked. The US must reflect on the detrimental impact of its policies, while prioritizing humane management of migration.
Read to @AndresRSilva_:https://t.co/klvt7H6ViE
— Tyler Mattiace (@TMattiaceHRW) October 18, 2024
Russia banned LGBTIQ+ propaganda
Before trying undo messages in favor of having a life without children, in 2022 the State Duma banned LGBTIQ+ propaganda for adults. In 2013 this reform was exclusively for minors.
While back then Alexander Khinshteinauthor of the bill, declared that the project against LGBTIQ+ propaganda It was not an act of censorship, Vyacheslav Volodinspeaker of the Duma, argued that the recent reform against messages in favor of a life without children will not affect “the women’s options”.
It is expected that with the recent reformRussian publishers, libraries and the productionsamong other places, begin to avoid sanctions with the elimination of all material that favor a life without children, as happened with the “gay propaganda”.
Recently, the case came to light that a court of Nizhny Novgorod fined a bookstore chain 500 thousand rubles (more than five thousand dollars) for sell a novel which included descriptions of same-sex relationships. The same thing happens with the courts that have fined television channels and streaming services that present people on more than one occasion. people from the LGBTIQ+ community.