Officials of the Vitebsk region will be held strictly accountable for the implementation of Decree No. 18 - A. Kosinets

February 4, Vitebsk / Olga Bogacheva - BELTA /. Control over the implementation of Decree No. 18 will be tightened in the Vitebsk region. This was stated today by the Chairman of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee, Alexander Kosinets, at a coordination meeting on combating crime and corruption in the region, a BELTA correspondent reports. Currently, about 4.5 thousand social orphans live in the region. More than 3.7 thousand children are in a socially dangerous situation. "An abnormal situation in families, alcoholic parents pose a real threat to the lives of these children. Meanwhile, cases of red tape and negligent attitude of interested parties to the implementation of Decree No. 18 are still widespread," Alexander Kosinets stated, noting some egregious facts. For example, in the Pervomaisky district of Vitebsk, three children live with a mother who abuses alcohol and her cohabitant, who suffers from tuberculosis. No measures are being taken against this family by the district education department. In this regard, the chairman of the regional executive committee ordered the head of this department to be dismissed from his position. "Officials who have shown inattentive attitude towards children and their problems must and will be held strictly accountable for their actions, up to dismissal from their positions," the head of the region emphasized. In general, the assessment of the work on the decree by all interested departments of the region is unsatisfactory, the governor concluded. In Belarus, Decree No. 18 "On additional measures for state protection of children in dysfunctional families" came into force on January 1, 2007. The document is aimed, on the one hand, at protecting the rights and legitimate interests of children in dysfunctional families, and on the other hand, at increasing the responsibility of parents by reimbursing the state's expenses for the maintenance of their children. -0-