Child Safety and its Place in the National Security System

In accordance with Part 4 of Article 671 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation, children are the most important priority of the state policy of Russia. Moreover, part 1 of Article 38 of the main regulatory legal act of the country stipulates that childhood is protected by the state. This approach to children is not accidental, as they represent one of the most vulnerable categories of the population. Children need the protection and support of the family, society and the State. They, their rights and freedoms are one of the main values of the modern Russian state.

Unfortunately, over the past few years, cases of attacks on the life and health of children have become more frequent. So, in 2016, the number of minors who suffered from criminal assaults was 78.7 thousand people, in 2017 – 105.5 thousand people, in 2018 – 106.8 thousand people, in 2019 – 107.6 thousand people, in 2020 – 94.9 thousand people ^[1]. According to A. I. Bastrykin, the number of crimes against minors in 2021 increased by almost 17% compared to the previous year ^[2].

In addition, egregious cases of attacks on the life and health of children have increasingly begun to occur in educational organizations – schools and gymnasiums, colleges and universities. During the period from 2018 to 2022, several mass murders of students were committed in Kerch, Kazan, Perm, Izhevsk.

In this regard, the issues of ensuring the safety of children are of particular relevance, since the preservation of the people, including their young representatives, is one of the most important areas of ensuring the national security of Russia.

The methodological basis of the research is an interdisciplinary approach, logical, comparative, concrete sociological (content analysis, questionnaire) and special legal (formal legal, technical legal, interpretation) methods of cognition. The information base of the study was the Constitution of the Russian Federation and other legal and technical acts regulating issues of child safety and national security, scientific publications and information and analytical materials. The empirical base of the study was made up of the materials of the questionnaire of persons living in Yekaterinburg with children (N=127, 2022).

Within the framework of this study, we will try to solve the following tasks: formulate a definition of the concept of "child safety"; clarify the list of types of child safety and disclose their content; prove the relationship between child safety and national security; determine the place of child safety in the national security system; identify problems and threats to the safety of children at home, on the street and in educational institutions, formulate proposals for their solution.

The concept of "child safety" is not disclosed in the current legislation of the Russian Federation. The situation is similar with the concept of "personal security", which is generic in relation to the concept mentioned above. The absence of a legal definition gives rise to a multiplicity of approaches to the interpretation of the concept of "personal security" in the specialized literature. Some researchers define personal security as a "state of absence of danger" ^[3] or as a "state of security from various kinds of risks and threats" ^{[4, p. 378]}. However, as T. I. Yezhevskaya notes, most often the concept of "personal security" is defined by scientists as "a system of measures to protect it from various threats" ^{[5, p. 47]}. Thus, sharing this approach, S. S. Volkov proposes to understand the security of the individual as "a set of legal relations within which the duties of state bodies and their officials are performed, established for the purpose of unhindered and unrestricted exercise by citizens of their rights, freedoms and legitimate interests" ^{[6, p. 57]}. At the same time, not all functions of the state authorities and their officials can perform independently. As you know, various organizations and institutions are being created to solve a number of issues. In particular, if for some reason the child has no parents, then their responsibilities are assumed by the state, the child is placed in a specialized institution, which is also responsible for his safety. In this regard, it is not possible to fully agree with the position of S. S. Volkov, who excluded from the list of subjects responsible for the realization of the rights, freedoms and legitimate interests of citizens (including the right to life, health, safety), state organizations and institutions.

Taking into account the fact that the State of security is ensured by the State through the creation and management of a security system, there is no need to contrast these two approaches to each other. At the same time, if we take into account that a child is a person under the age of eighteen (Part 1 of Article 54 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation No. 223–FZ of December 29, 1995), then the safety of children can be defined as a state of protection from various threats of persons under the age of eighteen, provided by a system of special measures in as part of the fulfillment of the State's duty to protect childhood.

Researchers most often see threats to children's safety in an emotionally unfavorable climate in the family or in the school team ^{[7, 8, 9]}, media industry products ^{[10, 11]}, the Internet space ^[12], etc. As T. V. Vasey, S. J. Carroll, M. Daniel, M. Cargo rightly point out, the life and health of children are threatened on the way to an educational institution ^[13], and therefore parents need to choose the safest routes for them. E. W. Sugita points to the dependence of children's health on sanitary and hygienic conditions at school ^[14]. In addition, the COVID-19 pandemic has also had an impact on the safety of children. According to a study by the US National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, instability in the social and educational spheres during the COVID-19 pandemic led to a deterioration in the mental health of students ^[15].

Currently, the question of the types of child safety is debatable.

E. B. Kirichenko, researching the safety of orphaned children, identifies social security as "the state of protection of an individual, social group, community from threats of violation of their vital interests, rights, freedoms" ^{[16, p. 25]}. As you can see, this definition is formulated quite broadly and in its content coincides with the general concept of "personal security". In this regard, under social security, we propose to understand the state of protection from threats that complicate the process of social formation of children, their preparation for independent life in society. With this approach to understanding social security, E. B. Kirichenko's proposal to include spiritual and moral security in its composition ("the state of the individual in which its holistic development and spiritual and moral improvement takes place") ^{[16, p. 25]} seems more reasonable.

I. A. Baeva, K. Heidelburg, C. Phelps, T. A. Collins distinguish two types of security – physical and psychological ^{[17, 18]}. Physical safety can be defined as the state of protection of children from threats to their life, health and physical development. Psychological safety can be defined as the state of protection of children from threats to their psychological well-being.

M. V. Khakimova and N. A. Shepilova believe that the main threat to the psychological safety of a child is "information that inadequately reflects the world around him, i.e. misleads him" ^{[19, p. 46]}. Of course, information can negatively affect the psychological development of a child, but it would be wrong to give her the "palm". The psychological safety of children can be influenced by their social environment – parents and other family members, teachers, peers ^{[20, p. 337]}. At the same time, as M. K. Dzanagova and M. M. Beteeva correctly emphasize, it is children who are most susceptible to the negative influence of information that can negatively affect their health ^{[21, p. 274]}. In this regard, Federal Law No. 436-FZ of December 29, 2010 "On the protection of children from information that harms their health and development" introduced the term "information security of children", which means "the state of protection of children in which there is no risk associated with information that harms their health and (or) physical and mental development" (item 4 of part 1 of Article 2).

It is also possible to include transport safety (protection from various threats when using transport infrastructure facilities or vehicles), educational safety (protection from various threats in the process of education and training) and environmental safety (protection from the negative impact of anthropogenic activities and threats of natural and man-made emergencies) among the types of children's safety.

The safety of children is ensured through various organizational and legal measures. Firstly, parents are charged with the duty to take care of children (Part 2 of Article 38 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation). This obligation is assumed by the state in cases when children are left without parental care (Part 4 of Article 671 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation). Secondly, the state creates a system of educational organizations, a system of specialized institutions for orphans and children left without parental care, a system of institutions for health protection, social assistance and social services, defining the mechanisms of their functioning (Articles 39, 41, 43, 671 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation). Thirdly, the State creates authorities, giving them the authority to carry out managerial, supervisory and other functions necessary to ensure the safety of children.

The content analysis of legal and other acts devoted to the issues of ensuring the safety of children, conducted in the period from June 27 to August 15, 2022, shows that the current legal and technical regulation in this area is represented by more than 200 acts of different levels and types, of different legal force. At the same time, information security is subject to the greatest legal regulation among all types of child safety, technical regulation – transport and environmental. Educational security is regulated by both legal and technical documents.

It should be noted that the safety of children is not directly stated in the National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, approved by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation No. 400 dated 02.07.2021 (hereinafter referred to as the Strategy). Nevertheless, it would be a mistake to believe that the safety of children is not related to national security. According to paragraph 5 of the Strategy, national security is "the state of protection of the national interests of the Russian Federation from ... threats ...". In turn, paragraph 25 of the Strategy provides a list of national interests, among which are designated: the preservation of the people of Russia and the protection of citizens from unlawful encroachments; the development of a secure information space, the protection of Russian society from destructive informational and psychological effects; environmental protection, rational use of natural resources; strengthening traditional Russian spiritual and moral values, the preservation of cultural and the historical heritage of the people of Russia, etc. The provisions of this paragraph in relation to the provisions of paragraph 5, 33, 40, 57, 83, 93 The strategies allow us to conclude that the need for children's safety is embedded in several national interests at once, and its provision is part of several strategic national priorities. Despite this, the question of the place of children's safety in the national security system remains open.

According to paragraph 5 of the Strategy, "the national security system is a set of public authorities implementing state policy in the field of national security and instruments at their disposal." At the same time, in accordance with paragraph 103, the implementation of this Strategy implies a systematic and coordinated activity not only of the authorities, but also of various organizations and institutions of civil society. As an example, we can cite the activities of authorities and educational organizations aimed at ensuring the safety of children. Thus, the authorities exercise licensing control over educational organizations, federal state quality control of education, federal state supervision in the field of education, prosecutor's supervision, federal state fire supervision, federal state sanitary and epidemiological control aimed at ensuring the safety of children. In educational institutions with children, class hours dedicated to the rules of the road and safe behavior in public places are constantly held, training evacuations are periodically conducted. At the same time, the official statistics given earlier indicate that the measures taken to ensure the safety of children are insufficient. In this regard, in the system of ensuring national security, it would be advisable to single out the safety of children as a separate area. This would make it possible to streamline the activities of public authorities, various organizations and institutions of civil society in the implementation of measures aimed at ensuring the protection of children from threats to their physical, psychological, spiritual and moral development. At the same time, as M. Heise and J. P. Nance correctly note, financial support for the implementation of measures to ensure the safety of children should be differentiated, take into account the criminogenic situation and the victimological situation in a particular locality or part of it ^[22].

In order to study the opinion of the population about the threats and conditions for ensuring the safety of children, in the period from September 12 to October 31, 2022, a survey of persons living in Yekaterinburg with children was conducted. 127 people took part in the study, of which 39% were men, 71% were women. Distribution of respondents by age: 25 years and younger – 7%; 26-35 years – 19%; 36-45 years – 43%; 46 years and older – 31%.

When asked where the child is safest, most of the respondents answered that at home (68%), a quarter (24%) – in an educational institution, one in nine (11%) – with friends or relatives. At the same time, the last two answers were most often given by persons with children under the age of 9. The reason for this may be the parents' conviction that it is unsafe for their child to stay at home alone at this age, and it is better to be under the supervision of adults.

In most cases, parents try to control the social circle and lifestyle of children, less often – media content and printed materials that children watch, read or listen to (Figure 1). If we compare the respondents' answers, then the least control on their part is subject to children of adolescent age and older.

Figure 1 – Objects of parental control, %

Among the cases of violations of rights and freedoms related to security faced by the respondents' children, the following prevail: bullying by students and (or) teachers, teachers (39%); theft or damage to personal belongings (18%); injuries on the street (11%); hacking of messengers and (or) social networks (7%); poisoning in the cafeteria of an educational institution (6%); bodily injury to other students (3%); injuries in an educational institution (3%); traffic accident (2%). The data show that the psychological and physical safety of children is most often at risk. Parents underestimate information security, perhaps due to the fact that they practically do not track the information that their child learns daily through various gadgets and the Internet.

At the same time, most parents prefer not to apply anywhere. Only a few respondents answered that they had contacted the administration of an educational institution (12%), the police (11%), the hospital (14%), a psychologist (1%). Thus, parents unconsciously cultivate tolerance for antisocial behavior in the child, forming a stable stereotype of "victim" in his mind.

The respondents named fire, electric shock, gas explosion and falling from a height as threats to the safety of a child at home, the state of playgrounds and sports grounds, the state of road transport infrastructure (lack of pedestrian crossings and traffic lights, poor lighting, lack of ramps), illegal encroachments by other persons (beatings, theft, abduction). Among the security threats in the educational institution, respondents indicated the products of the canteen, the psychological climate in the team, the condition of the building of the educational institution.

In addition, some respondents additionally noted that the indifference of the authorities is a threat to the safety of children, as well as the low level of professionalism of employees of the local Department of education, which allocates places in kindergartens. These problems were pointed out by respondents living in the Uktus microdistrict of Yekaterinburg. The fact is that there are only three schools in this microdistrict and only one of them is located in close proximity to a public transport stop. At the same time, this neighborhood is being actively built up and despite the overcrowding of all three schools, no new schools are being built and sites for them are not reserved. Even more interesting is the situation with places in kindergartens in this neighborhood. Administratively, it is located in the Chkalovsky district of Yekaterinburg, which also includes other settlements located outside the city. In this regard, when allocating places in preschool educational organizations, residents of the Uktus microdistrict can be allocated places in kindergartens located in other localities, for example, in the village of Gorny Shield, 16 km from the Uktus microdistrict.

On the question of what measures should be taken to ensure the safety of the child, the respondents' opinions were divided. Regarding the safety of the child at home, most of the respondents said that nothing needs to be done, everything is safe (56%), every eighth respondent (12%) – about the need to conduct safety instructions (on the use of a stove, heater, etc.). The rest of the parents called the inspection of electrical wiring (10%), gas equipment (7%), replacement of unsafe furniture or interior items (4%). The respondents attributed the following to the measures contributing to ensuring safety on the street: installation of a traffic light or pedestrian crossing (33%); demolition of garages, barracks and abandoned buildings (21%); study of traffic rules when riding a bicycle or scooter (13%); installation of a ramp (11%); renovation of asphalt pavement sidewalks and the allocation of areas for bike paths (9%); improvement of street lighting (7%); trapping stray dogs (4%). It is interesting to note that measures to improve road infrastructure were most often proposed by residents of old neighborhoods, the construction of which was actively going on in the 1960s and 1980s (neighborhoods "Southwest", "Vtorchermet", "Tire"). The need to catch stray dogs was pointed out by residents of the Zarechny, Zavokzalny and Vtuzgorodok microdistricts. Among the measures aimed at ensuring the safety of children in educational institutions, respondents most often pointed to the need for: improving the quality of teaching the basics of life safety (46%); hiring additional security (22%); introducing access control (13%); repairing the building of an educational institution (9%). At the same time, only every fifth respondent insisting on additional security and access control expressed readiness to provide financial assistance to an educational institution.

The results of the survey showed that the older the child, the less parents monitor his safety. Bullying is common in modern Russian schools, which threatens the psychological and physical health of children. At the same time, parents tend to underestimate the impact of information on the information security of children. In case of violation of the rights and freedoms related to the safety of children, they rarely seek specialized help. Most of the threats to the safety of children identified by respondents can be minimized as a result of the activities of local governments aimed at: trapping stray dogs; improving street lighting and the condition of road transport infrastructure; improving the system of distribution of places in kindergartens; updating urban planning plans in terms of reducing the number of buildings attracting marginal elements, and increasing the number of educational institutions. Certain threats can be overcome by making changes to the rules of the road in terms of regulating the use of scooters. Some threats can be leveled by strengthening the quality control of education both by the authorities and by educational institutions. The latter, in turn, need to develop a system of school mediation and psychological assistance, improve the security system, as well as introduce a system of prevention of violations of the rights and freedoms of students related to their safety. Of course, the willingness of parents to provide financial assistance to schools to achieve these goals is not enough, we need to consolidate resources at all levels of the budget system. At the same time, it is necessary to minimize the risk of extortion from the parents of students under the pretext of ensuring the safety of children. The State should not shift its responsibility for the protection of childhood to the parents of children.

Based on the conducted research, a number of conclusions should be drawn.

1. The safety of children is a state of protection from threats to the physical, psychological, spiritual and moral development of persons under the age of eighteen, which is provided by a system of special measures within the framework of the state's duty to protect childhood. In order to improve the legal regulation of children's safety, this definition should be fixed in Article 1 of Federal Law No. 124-FZ of 24.07.1998 "On basic guarantees of children's rights in the Russian Federation".

2. The question of the varieties and content of child safety is currently very controversial. At the same time, it is possible to include social, spiritual and moral, physical, psychological, information, transport, educational, and environmental safety among the types of security.

3. The legislation of the Russian Federation devoted to child safety issues is mostly fragmentary today. The only exception is the legislation on information security of children.

4. Although children's need for security falls under the definition of national interest, and its provision is part of several strategic national priorities, the National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation, approved by Presidential Decree No. 400 of 02.07.2021, does not single out child safety as a separate area. As a result, the activities of public authorities, organizations and civil society institutions in this area do not allow building a comprehensive and effective system of measures to counter threats to the safety of minors. In this regard, the National Security Strategy of the Russian Federation should be amended to clarify the place of children's safety in the national security system, which is currently not explicitly defined. The safety of children in the system of ensuring national security should be isolated as a separate strategic national priority and stand in the first place.

5. Threats to the safety of children exist at home, on the street and at school. To minimize them, coordinated actions of authorities, educational institutions, children themselves and their parents are required. The data obtained from the results of the survey indicate that most of the threats arise from the inefficient work of local self-government bodies, gaps in legal regulation. At the same time, there are a large number of threats associated with studying in an educational institution. In this regard, it is necessary to introduce the position of adviser and (or) deputy director for safety in the staff of educational organizations, who would monitor not only the safety of the building and territory, food products in the dining room, but also the provision of psychological, informational and other types of safety of children.