Rantala incident
Encyclopedia
Robert Rantala is a 7-year-old child with Russian-Finnish dual citizenship who was taken by the Finnish
social service to a children’s shelter in early 2010. Russia
n media followed closely the incident for weeks. The boy escaped from school to his parents and Russia's Commissioner for Children Pavel Astakhov
visited in Finland.
Inga Rantala and Finnish father Veli-Pekka Rantala. The Family lives in Turku
, Finland. The boy was taken into child custody
on 4 February 2010. Robert attended to school but escaped to his family. Russia's Commissioner for Children Pavel Astakhov met Finnish social workers in Finland on 18 March. The result of his efforts was the boy will stay with his family, but Finnish social workers will make regular visits, which solved the issue for both sides.
activist Johan Bäckman
and the boy's mother Inga Rantala. After that the event became one of the most debated issues in Russia and Bäckman was a central commentator of the case in Russian media. According to Kommersant
, Bäckman was the primary source of the incident.
The Russian media
has mainly presented the incident by the parents' side. Most of information of the case is from the mother as the Finnish authorities do not give information of any individual child custody case. According to Russian media the boy was taken into custody when he revealed that his mother "slapt" him and that the mother planned to take him to Russia. Part of the media speculated that the reason was an anti-Russian sentiment in Finland. The father said he will give up the Finnish citizenship and ask for political asylum in Russia. Some reported that the father will give up the Finnish citizenship and the family will move to Russia. According to Kommersant, Bäckman has mostly been the source of these allegations.
the incident was probably a part of the Russian internal politics
, which was lead from Moscow. The Russian authorities knew the real background of the case, but kept it on the news for weeks. The peak moment occurred as Astakhov, a lawyer with KGB
training, arrived Turku with dozens of Russian journalists.
According to YLE news analysis the incident was a serious collision of cultures: "The Finnish authorities believed that they dealed with a child protection case, while the Kremlin's representative made a high international politics."
According to Finnish social authorities, it is unusual for foreign officials to intervene and that child welfare cases are carefully resolved and not decided on a whim. Authorities cannot violate confidentiality practices to comment publicly on the case. There are over ten thousand child custody cases yearly in Finland.
accused Finland of refusing to sign a bilaterial agreement with Russia on family and civil cases. The Russian Children's ombudsman office sent a proposal and draft agreement, similar to the one already signed with Italy
. Astakhov also proposed setting up of a bilateral advisory commission to help solve child custody cases. This was rejected as unnecessary by Finland’s Ombudsman for Children Maria-Kaisa Aula. According to her there is enough multilateral agreements, such the Hague Convention
or the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the Council of Europe
agreement that focuses on child matters. Unlike Finland, Russia had not signed the Hague Convention.
Later, Russia joined the Hague Abduction Convention on October 1, 2011.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
social service to a children’s shelter in early 2010. Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n media followed closely the incident for weeks. The boy escaped from school to his parents and Russia's Commissioner for Children Pavel Astakhov
Pavel Astakhov
Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov is a Russian statesman and lawyer, and became the Children Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation on 31 December 2009.-Education:...
visited in Finland.
Background
Robert Rantala is a son of the Russian motherRussians in Finland
Russians in Finland constitute a linguistic and ethnic minority in Finland. About 27,000 people have a citizenship of Russian Federation and Russian is the mother language of about 48,000 people in Finland, which represents about 0.8% of the population.Russians citizens who moved before the Second...
Inga Rantala and Finnish father Veli-Pekka Rantala. The Family lives in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
, Finland. The boy was taken into child custody
Child custody
Child custody and guardianship are legal terms which are used to describe the legal and practical relationship between a parent and his or her child, such as the right of the parent to make decisions for the child, and the parent's duty to care for the child.Following ratification of the United...
on 4 February 2010. Robert attended to school but escaped to his family. Russia's Commissioner for Children Pavel Astakhov met Finnish social workers in Finland on 18 March. The result of his efforts was the boy will stay with his family, but Finnish social workers will make regular visits, which solved the issue for both sides.
Incident in the Russian media
The first news of the incident was published by Interfax on 19 February with the commentaries of Finnish Anti-Fascist CommitteeFinnish Anti-Fascist Committee
The Finnish Anti-Fascist Committee , also known by its Finnish abbreviation SAFKA, is a radical political organisation operating in Finland, founded in November 2008, but never registered...
activist Johan Bäckman
Johan Bäckman
Erkki Johan Bäckman is a Finnish political author, legal sociologist and criminologist, holding an adjunct professorship in three Finnish universities....
and the boy's mother Inga Rantala. After that the event became one of the most debated issues in Russia and Bäckman was a central commentator of the case in Russian media. According to Kommersant
Kommersant
Kommersant is a commerce-oriented newspaper published in Russia. , the circulation was 131,000.- History :The newspaper was initially published in 1909, and it was closed down following the Bolshevik seizure of power and the introduction of censorship in 1917.In 1989, with the onset of press...
, Bäckman was the primary source of the incident.
The Russian media
Media of Russia
Media of Russia is diverse, with a wide range of broadcast and print outlets are available to the consumer. In total, there are 93,000 media outlets in Russia, including 27,000 newspapers and magazines and 330 television channels. Television is the most popular source of information. There are...
has mainly presented the incident by the parents' side. Most of information of the case is from the mother as the Finnish authorities do not give information of any individual child custody case. According to Russian media the boy was taken into custody when he revealed that his mother "slapt" him and that the mother planned to take him to Russia. Part of the media speculated that the reason was an anti-Russian sentiment in Finland. The father said he will give up the Finnish citizenship and ask for political asylum in Russia. Some reported that the father will give up the Finnish citizenship and the family will move to Russia. According to Kommersant, Bäckman has mostly been the source of these allegations.
Incident in the Finnish media
The Finnish media has mainly focused on the reactions in Russian media. The incident was a minor news until Pavel Astakhov visited in Finland. According to the Finnish newspaper Helsingin SanomatHelsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
the incident was probably a part of the Russian internal politics
Politics of Russia
The politics of Russia take place in a framework of a federal semi-presidential republic. According to the Constitution of Russia, the President of Russia is head of state, and of a multi-party system with executive power exercised by the government, headed by the Prime Minister, who is appointed...
, which was lead from Moscow. The Russian authorities knew the real background of the case, but kept it on the news for weeks. The peak moment occurred as Astakhov, a lawyer with KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
training, arrived Turku with dozens of Russian journalists.
According to YLE news analysis the incident was a serious collision of cultures: "The Finnish authorities believed that they dealed with a child protection case, while the Kremlin's representative made a high international politics."
According to Finnish social authorities, it is unusual for foreign officials to intervene and that child welfare cases are carefully resolved and not decided on a whim. Authorities cannot violate confidentiality practices to comment publicly on the case. There are over ten thousand child custody cases yearly in Finland.
Aftermath
In July 2010 Pavel AstakhovPavel Astakhov
Pavel Alekseevich Astakhov is a Russian statesman and lawyer, and became the Children Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation on 31 December 2009.-Education:...
accused Finland of refusing to sign a bilaterial agreement with Russia on family and civil cases. The Russian Children's ombudsman office sent a proposal and draft agreement, similar to the one already signed with Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. Astakhov also proposed setting up of a bilateral advisory commission to help solve child custody cases. This was rejected as unnecessary by Finland’s Ombudsman for Children Maria-Kaisa Aula. According to her there is enough multilateral agreements, such the Hague Convention
Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction
The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction, or Hague Abduction Convention is a multilateral treaty developed by the Hague Conference on Private International Law that provides an expeditious method to return a child internationally abducted from one member nation to...
or the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the Council of Europe
Council of Europe
The Council of Europe is an international organisation promoting co-operation between all countries of Europe in the areas of legal standards, human rights, democratic development, the rule of law and cultural co-operation...
agreement that focuses on child matters. Unlike Finland, Russia had not signed the Hague Convention.
Later, Russia joined the Hague Abduction Convention on October 1, 2011.