Vitebsk region courts exempted 69 reformed parents from reimbursing child maintenance costs

November 18, Vitebsk / Diana Kurilo - BELTA /. Courts in the Vitebsk region have since May this year released 69 parents from reimbursement of costs for child maintenance, whose children have returned to their biological families, told BELTA correspondent Tamara Olekhnovich, Deputy Chairperson of the Commission for Minors Affairs of the Vitebsk Regional Executive Committee. The procedure for releasing repentant parents from reimbursement of costs became possible thanks to amendments to Decree No. 18 introduced in May this year by Decree No. 5. During the period the amendments have been in effect, claimants have filed 87 lawsuits for the release of obligated persons from paying debts for reimbursement of child maintenance costs and termination of enforcement proceedings, as children have been returned to them. Lawsuits against 69 individuals have been satisfied, while others are still under consideration. According to Tamara Olekhnovich, this measure serves as a good incentive for parents and provides financial support to families. As of October 1 this year, there were 4,028 obligated parents in the region who were deprived of parental rights, of whom 337 people did not reimburse the state for the costs of maintaining their children. As a rule, these individuals are on the wanted list, and some are already serving sentences for malicious evasion of payment. According to education authorities, since January 1, 2007 – the start of Decree No. 18 "On Additional Measures for State Protection of Children in Unfavorable Families" – obligated parents have reimbursed 42% of the planned accrued amounts. As of October 1, 2009, in the Vitebsk region, over nine months, 393 children from 247 families were recognized as needing state protection, and 279 children were returned to 163 families. -0-