Introduction

Abstract

The January 1995 issue of this journal included an article titled "The Degradation of a Nation," in which G. F. Morozova presented overwhelming statistical evidence that there is a real social crisis in Russia. Among the groups identified as suffering the most from the pains of the nation's transformation, children and the elderly were at the top of the list. The plight of children in Russia had been noted by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, in response to which the Russian government issued a decree in 1993 that required preparation of annual reports on the condition of children in the Russian Federation.