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The first session of the Public Council under the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights was held on September 18, 2012. The council includes representatives of public organisations, federal and regional media.

The Public Council under the Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights will become a platform to organise public monitoring of the practical application of the Federal Law On Protecting Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development, which came into force on September 1, 2012, and implement public monitoring over the resolution of disputes over ensuring children’s information security.

The law prohibits disseminating information to children that encourages suicide or harming one’s health, use of drugs, alcohol or cigarettes, rejects family values and stimulates disrespect toward parents, justifies unlawful acts and contains obscene language and information of a pornographic nature.

According to Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights Pavel Astakhov, with introduction of this law public organisations (including parent associations) obtained effective legal tools to respond to any attempts to morally or psychologically corrupt children via the media.

The architects of this law took into account the experience of the European Court of Human Rights, the provisions of the European Freedom of Communication on the Internet Declaration, the European conventions On Cinematic Co-Production and On Transfrontier Television, the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers’ Recommendation On the Portrayal of Violence in the Electronic Media and many other documents.

During the session of the Public Council, a decision was made to set special public commissions on children’s information security, on protecting the rights of Russian children abroad, on monitoring situation at orphanages, and on improving legislation to protect family, motherhood, fatherhood and childhood.