Russia Maintains a List of Delinquent Parents Failing to Meet Child Support Obligations
Federal Bailiff Service Introduces Registry for Delinquent Parents
On May 25, the Federal Bailiff Service unveiled a registry of parents who have failed to meet their child support obligations. The registry, referred to as the "Wall of Shame," will include individuals convicted of administrative or criminal offenses related to child support arrears. This incorporates parents who do not pay for the support of disabled adult children or incapacitated parents, as well as those wanted by law enforcement and who have not settled their debts.
Those listed in the registry will be notified within 24 hours, and the information will be publicly accessible. Anyone will be able to search for an individual using their last name via the search bar on the Bailiff Service's website.
According to Dmitry Aristov, the Director of the Federal Bailiff Service, 190,000 entries will be added to the registry at its inception. In the past eight years, the agency has compulsorily collected over 309 billion rubles in child support, with 92 billion collected in 2024 alone. In 2024, the agency was seeking 135,600 delinquent parents, with 44,800 located during that period.
Aristov expressed a hope that no man would find himself on this "Wall of Shame." It should be noted that the term "Wall of Shame" is commonly associated with music copyright infringement, not with the child support collection initiative in Russia.
As reported by Yuga.ru in December 2023, the total alimony debt in Dagestan amounted to 1.3 billion rubles. While valuable, this information might not be directly relevant to the effectiveness of the "Wall of Shame" registry in Russia for collecting child support from delinquent parents. For a comprehensive evaluation, it would be advantageous to conduct further research involving specific data or studies related to the registry's implementation and outcomes in Russia.
- The new registry for delinquent parents, dubbed the "Wall of Shame," could potentially expand beyond child support related arrears, as it also includes individuals who have not paid for the support of disabled adult children or incapacitated parents, facing both administrative and criminal penalties.
- Beyond the child support arrears issue, delinquent parents in the sphere of business and finance could also be affected by this policy, as the registry's information is publicly accessible, making it theoretically possible to search for individuals with unpaid financial obligations using their last name via the Bailiff Service's website.
