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The Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on November 20, 1989, is a powerful addition to the international, human rights framework. While great progress has been made on children’s rights over the past 20 years, much work remains to be done. With the chief goal of engaging the academic and professional community in discussion on what needs to be done to bring child rights issues to the forefront of national and international agendas, the Graduate Program in International Affairs and UNICEF, will host a three-part film series dedicated to the issue of children’s rights. Each event will feature a documentary film focusing on a range of global rights issues, a presentation by the film director, followed by Q&A. The Children of Leningradsky Despite efforts by the Russian Federation to reduce the numbers of homeless children, many young children (ages eight-16) are still forced to leave home. Estimates for the number of children living on the streets of Russia vary from 20,000 to 100,000. An estimated 30,000 live in the Leningradsky train station in Moscow. Children of Leningradsky delves into the underground world of the children who are driven to homelessness by abandonment, abuse, or other intolerable conditions. Their situation grows even more gruesome as they become victims of prostitution, police abuse, addiction, and untimely death. Utilizing verité footage of over a dozen children, the film captures the sobering reality of post-Soviet Russia. The children speak candidly about their lives, routines, and lost dreams. (35 minutes).
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