Over 100,000 minors homeless in Ukraine

RFE/RL Poland, Belarus and Ukraine Report

KYIV - Yurii Bohutskyi, deputy head of the presidential administration staff, told journalists on February 16 that there are 101,000 homeless minors in Ukraine, constituting 36.3 percent of all homeless people in the country. The data were obtained during special police raids across the country.

According to Mr. Bohutskyi, vagrancy and begging among homeless minors have acquired a "mass character." He added that 14.4 percent of homeless minors are children of pre-school age.

Ukraine has 80 orphanages, half of which were set up over the past two years. According to Mr. Bohutskyi, the number of orphanages is insufficient.

President Leonid Kuchma recently issued a decree ordering the government to address the problem of homelessness and criminality among minors. In particular, the president instructed the government to open more orphanages and children's homes.

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, February 27, 2000, No. 9, Vol. LXVIII

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