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Russia steps up efforts to challenge falling birthrate

2024-11-29 16:45:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

The population crisis in Russia is deepening. United Nations forecasts show that Russia could lose half of its territory by the end of this century. In response to the situation, Moscow is stepping up efforts against what it calls liberal ideology, with a law that fines anyone who embraces a childless lifestyle. VOA correspondent Ricardo Marquina brings more details.

Having or not having children in Russia is still a personal choice. But a childless lifestyle is already prohibited by law.

Russia's parliament, the Duma, passed a law in November that imposes fines on those it says support what it calls "propaganda of the deliberate refusal to bear children."

The law was passed by Russian lawmakers who accuse the West of spreading a liberal ideology that is influencing young Russian couples to avoid having children.

"This is certainly an element of a great hybrid war against our country, along with drug propaganda, pedophilia, gender reassignment propaganda, non-traditional sexual relations, suicide propaganda," says Sergei Boyarskiy, a lawmaker from Russian President Vladimir Putin's party. Putin, "United Russia".

The government has not named individuals or organizations it intends to attack with the new law.

However, some human rights associations still working inside Russia see the law as an instrument of repression.

"There is less and less public space to express different views. These measures are only to prevent discussions on the problems of motherhood", says Sofia Rusova from the Center for the Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence.

Activists who have been forced to flee Russia after opposing Moscow's aggression in Ukraine blame the war for what they see as an overly harsh measure to silence debate on the birth rate.

"Now a woman can be fined if she says she doesn't want to have children, in this economy, in this situation when there is war, that is, if she says publicly that she doesn't think it's safe to have children now," says Roxana Kiseleva, coordinator at exile of the organization 'Feminist Committee Against War'. She asked VOA not to reveal her location outside of Russia, for security reasons.

Russia now has 144 million inhabitants. United Nations forecasts say falling birthrates and an aging population mean Russia could lose half that number by the end of this century. The Russian leadership sees this as a catastrophic scenario for a nation with the largest territory in the world./ VOA