Volgograd: nine mothers go on three-day hunger strike for children's rights

Nine mothers have announced a three-day hunger strike in Volgograd, trying to attract attention of local authorities to the problem of shortage of places in kindergartens, rehabilitation of children with disabilities, the need to reopen dairy kitchens and increase salaries of preschool educators.

According to updated information, nine women hold the protest; their hunger strike began at 11:00 a.m. in a private house in the township of Angarsky. The room for the hunger strike was provided by an activist of the "RPR-Parnas", the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

"Initially, we were offered the office premises of the CPRF (Communist Party of the Russian Federation) and the 'Parnas'," explained Olga Cheburakova, one of the protesters. "However, they had problems with their renters."

The hunger-strikers have put up posters in the yard and in the house: "What have you done to protect children's rights?", "We are against juvenile justice!", "Take away free kindergartens - get revolution!" and others. According to the protesters, they will only drink water for three days.

The participants of the action demand to solve the problem with kindergartens and rehabilitation of disabled children, reopen dairy kitchens, not to close maternity hospitals, increase salaries of educators, prevent enforcement of the law on juvenile justice in the Volgograd Region, repair the Volgograd City Children and Youth Centre, remove dumps and build a playground for children with disabilities in central Volgograd.

The hunger-strikers also sent an invitation to the Governor of the Volgograd Region Sergey Bozhenov to visit their action.

According to the protesters, two women - Svetlana Selenok and Yana Cheremisova - will hold their solidarity hunger strike at home, because they cannot join the rest of the women for health reasons. "Svetlana Selenok is an invalid herself; and she has a disabled child, while Yana is seeking nothing for herself - she's just supporting us and our demands," said one of the protesters.

The hunger-strikers have also stated that they already have the experience of this form of protest, namely, from April 15, 2011, in Volgograd, 18 mothers also held a three-day hunger strike. "Since 2011, they began creating additional places in kindergartens," said Olga Cheburakova. "Bureaucrats have launched a programme aimed to eliminate the waiting list. Kindergartens began to revive; and 3000 new places appeared in 2011."

Irina Kharkov, a hunger-striker, said that should the authorities fail to pay attention to the protesters, "some mothers of disabled children are ready to go on an endless hunger strike."