By 
26-09-2024
Human Rights and Europe Researcher,
Global Human Rights Defence.
September 24th, 2024 (Moscow) – On Tuesday, the Russian State Duma approved a bill aiming at banning child free propaganda across the internet, media, films, and advertising. Spearheaded by Elvira Rinatova Aitkulova, a deputy from the ruling United Russia party, the legislation imposes severe penalties on individuals who publicly promote and advocate for child free ideology. The bill claims to “preserve and reinforce Russian spiritual-moral values,” and to establish an “effective mechanism for their protection”.
State Duma’s speaker Vyacheslav Volodin promptly commented that social networks often display disrespect toward motherhood and fatherhood, and exhibit hostility toward pregnant women and large families. These extremist ideas, he argued, discourage many women from starting families, aggravating Russia’s precarious demographic situation. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov echoed these concerns, noting that the country’s birth rate — currently stabilised at 1.4 — has not been this low in 17 years. Describing this trend as catastrophic for a nation of Russia’s vast size, Peskov highlighted that governmental data from 2023 indicates a population decline of 244,000 people, bringing the population to 1.41 million. The newly amended Code of Administrative Offences now prescribes fines ranging from 50,000 to 100,000 rubles for individuals, 100,000 to 200,000 rubles for officials, and 800,000 to 1 million for legal entities, with the possibility of suspending operations for up to 90 days.
Experts have voiced concern over the law’s chilling effect on human rights and fundamental freedoms. While the Kremlin presents the provision as a measure to curb the child-free movement and address demographic challenges to “save the nation,” many viewed it as a thinly veiled attempt to tighten control over civic space. The bill amends the law on “information, information technology, and protection of the information,” as well as other laws purportedly designed to uphold conventional family values. This measure, targeting the child-free movement, follows bans on LGBT and abortion propaganda enacted in 2022 and 2023, and is widely seen as part of a Kremlin’s broader campaign to fight what it perceives as the moral decadence of Western societies.
These actions represent severe breaches of international human rights law. By invoking the term “propaganda” in its legislation, the Kremlin tacitly enforces harsh restrictions on individual rights. Firstly, the bill curtails the freedom to publicly express opinions and disseminate them by any means, a direct violation of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Secondly, it prejudices the right to free choice and to self-determination in private life, as interpreted under Article 8 ECHR (right to respect for private and family life) by the European Court of Human Rights. Thirdly, the narrative promoted by this law risks further stigmatising minority groups in Russia, targeting individuals solely based on their personal preferences or private life choices — an act that could amount to discrimination directly conflicting with Article 14 of the ECHR.
“The situation in the Russian Federation has gotten much worse since my report last year,” stated UN Special Rapporteur on the Russian Federation, Mariana Matzarova, during the 23rd meeting of the 57th Regular Session of Human Rights Council, held before the State Duma approved the child-free bill. “Anti-war dissent is criminalised, police violence is condoned, arbitrary arrests and detention are widespread,” she added, noting that these abuses are being legitimised through new laws that gravely violate human rights. As the Russian government continues to extend its legislative arsenal, the space for civil society, political opposition, and dissenting views, is contracting to unprecedented levels. And in this framework, the bill banning child-free movement propaganda, passed on Tuesday, marks yet another step towards the total erosion of fundamental freedoms in the country.
Sources and Further Readings:
(2024, September 23). HRC – Press conference: Special Rapporteur on the Russian Federation, The UN Web TV, Retrieved on September 24, 2024, from https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1p/k1pla76s8c.
(2024, July 14). Nursing a grudge. Novaya Gazeta Europe. Retrieved on September 24, 2024, from https://novayagazeta.eu/articles/2024/07/14/nursing-a-grudge-en.
Osborn, A. (2024, Sepmtember 24). Russia, battling birth rate dip, is working on ‘child-free’ ideology ban, says Putin ally. The Reuters. Retrieved on September 24, 2024, from https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/russia-battling-birth-rate-dip-is-working-child-free-ideology-ban-says-putin-2024-09-24/.
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