Novosibirsk, Russia - An activity in support of the all-Russia observance of Mothers’ Day was held in Novosibirsk on November 25. In the Royal Park and Sun City shopping centers, activists handed out flowers and picture post cards to mothers.
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This year, Mothers’ Day coincided with the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women. Defending mothers’ rights is now an urgent issue in Russia, because in Russia there are many parents who are unwilling to financially support their children. Also there are a lot of single mothers raising children alone without support from the fathers. This problem is so urgent that a proposal to create a special foundation for supporting one-parent families is under discussion in the State Duma; 2.1 million children have never received paternal support, and 500,000 live in families that are below the minimum subsistence level.
At Sun City, participants included members of the regional city association “Family Council” and Universal Peace Federation volunteers. Volunteers approached people visiting the shopping centers and with a smile congratulated mothers. In addition, they gave picture post cards to men and encouraged them to express thanks to their mothers. In return, they received smiles and words of appreciation. The activity lasted five hours.