PHOTOS ET INTERVIEWS: MISHA GALUSTOV COORDINATION: ALEXA KAROLINSKI
Vice: Comment était le petit-déjeuner, aujourd’hui?
Alina, 10 ans: Bien. On a eu du kasha chaud.
De quoi tu as rêvé cette nuit?
Je ne me souviens pas très bien. Un truc avec la mer.
Tu y es déjà allée?
Deux fois. On est allé à la mer Noire, en groupe. J’ai joué avec des méduses et ramassé des cailloux.
À quoi ressemble une journée, ici?
Je me lève, je dois faire des exercices et puis il y a le petit-déjeuner. Ensuite, il y a l’école, que j’aime beaucoup. Après ça, j’ai le club couture. On fabrique des poupées et des décorations de Noël. L’an prochain, on s’attaquera aux vrais vêtements. On a vendu certains des jouets qu’on a fabriqués dans une foire, mais les miens ne se sont pas vendus.
Qu’est-ce que tu sais de tes parents?
Ma mère m’écrivait, mais elle a disparu quand j’avais 8 ans. Elle était très belle. Notre mère supérieure dit qu’elle est au ciel, que c’est là qu’elle vit maintenant, et que je la retrouverai là-haut, dans très longtemps. Bref, elle me manque.
Qu’est-ce que tu sais sur Dieu?
Je sais qu’Il est dans le ciel et qu’Il nous observe. Un des professeurs dit qu’Il connaît chacun de nous et peut entendre tout ce qu’on dit.
Tu aimerais être adoptée?
Je ne sais pas. Ça me fait peur. Et si je ne les aime pas, ou qu’ils ne m’aiment pas? J’ai entendu parler d’une fille qui a été adoptée et ses parents ne l’aimaient pas. Elle s’est suicidée, c’est ce que les autres m’ont dit.
Tu connais le sida?
Ça fait peur et c’est mortel. Et les gens qui ont le sida ne disent jamais aux autres qu’ils l’ont. C’est pour ça qu’ils peuvent facilement te contaminer.
Vice: Tu t’entends bien avec les infirmières, ici?
Seryozha, 10 ans: Des fois. Quand elles ne me punissent pas.
Elles te punissent souvent?
Oui, mais en général, je ne le mérite pas.
C’est ça…
Hé ben, une fois, Ilya et moi, on a pris un bol d’eau chaude et on l’a mis sous la main d’un garçon pendant qu’il dormait. Il a fait pipi au lit!
C’est un grand classique.
Et une fois, pendant la douche, on a volé les serviettes des filles. On les a cachées dans nos armoires. C’était pas très malin parce qu’ils les ont trouvées. On a été puni une semaine.
Tu es en contact avec tes parents?
Ma mère m’appelle pour mon anniversaire. Elle habite loin d’ici, à Saint-Pétersbourg. Elle m’a dit qu’elle allait venir me chercher et m’emmener loin d’ici, un jour.
Elle t’a expliqué pourquoi tu étais ici?
Elle a dit qu’elle ne pouvait pas s’occuper de moi et que les gens ici s’occuperaient mieux de moi qu’elle.
Tu la crois?
Ma mère m’a dit que dans l’endroit où elle vit, les enfants ne sont pas autorisés. Elle habite avec d’autres adultes qui ont le même problème qu’elle.
Tu sais de quel genre de problème il s’agit?
Non, mais elle a dit qu’elle risquait d’y rester pour toujours.
Qu’est-ce que tu comptes faire ce soir?
On va d’abord dîner, ensuite je devrais prendre mes médicaments et après on va regarder un film.
Pourquoi dois-tu prendre des médicaments?
Les infirmières disent que c’est pour que je ne tombe pas malade. La plupart des enfants en prennent ici. Il y a une fille qui est tombée malade, une fois, mais on l’a envoyée ailleurs.
Tu sais ce qu’elle avait?
Non. Les autres disent qu’elle est morte, mais je ne sais pas si c’est vrai.
Vice: Qui t’a coupé les cheveux? J’aime bien.
Sasha, 13 ans: Merci. C’est ma copine, Svetlana, qui m’a coupé les cheveux, il n’y a pas longtemps. Ça me plaît beaucoup.
Parle-moi de ta copine…
On s’entend bien. On parle beaucoup et on fait du vélo ensemble, ou on part se promener. C’est bien d’avoir quelqu’un.
Vous vous tenez la main, vous vous embrassez?
Oui. Mais c’est interdit par le règlement, alors on se cache des infirmières. Ne leur dis rien, d’accord?
Tu prends des médicaments?
Parfois, une infirmière me donne un cachet. Je crois que ce sont des vitamines.
Tu en prends souvent?
Deux fois par semaine, à peu près. Il y a des enfants ici qui en prennent carrément plus. Les infirmières disent que c’est pour leur système immunitaire.
Qu’est-ce que tu sais sur le VIH?
C’est une maladie qui te tue.
Et quoi d’autre?
Tu peux l’attraper en étant en contact avec des gens qui l’ont. Je pense qu’on ne devrait jamais avoir de contact avec des personnes qui sont contaminées. Elles devraient vivre dans des lieux séparés.
Qu’est-ce que tu sais sur ta mère?
Elle était très malade. C’est pour ça que je suis ici. Elle est morte à l’hôpital quand j’avais 2 ans. Moi-même, j’ai passé les premières années de ma vie à l’hôpital. Quand j’étais petit, j’ai eu besoin de soins particuliers. Mon cœur était trop faible, un truc comme ça. Je ne sais pas vraiment ce que j’avais.
Qu’est-ce que tu sais sur ton père?
Rien.
Qu’est-ce que tu lui demanderais si tu le rencontrais?
Je voudrais tout savoir sur lui, ce qu’il fait dans la vie, pourquoi il nous a abandonnés, ma mère et moi. Mais je n’y pense pas trop. Il ne faut pas montrer tes faiblesses, sinon les autres te maltraitent.
Vice always presents shit in an alarming -but not alarmist- way. I really admire the journalists for Vice. This is what the mainstream media should be. I am a staunch republican and get sick of having liberal agendas force-fed me by the MSM, but Vice just does compelling stories and lets them speak for themselves. Huzzah!
Subject: Date: Jul 29 2007 05:49:02 AM Author: Jen
This is heartbreaking.
Subject: patronymic Date: Jul 28 2007 12:10:37 AM Author: prename
i don't know whether this makes me a nerd or worse, but it makes me sad to notice these are all kids' names out of dostoyevsky. and then to think about the past 120 years...
Almost as bad/sad as not telling these staunch Russian kids that they have the HIV virus is the perpetuated myth in various african countries that fucking a virgin (usually a minor) will cure or prevent aids...
Subject: so... Date: Jul 25 2007 01:36:59 PM Author: petro
I live in this part o' the world, and for those of you asking "is it really this bad?" the answer is... well no and yes. What really blows ass is that every couple years there's a scandal about an adoptive couple abusing their adopted Russian orphan and the state makes it even more difficult for foreigners to adopt one of the many many kids whose parents couldn't afford to take care of them. The other crap thing is that Russia's birth rate is falling so quickly that the government has taken emergency measures to get people to have children and there's STILL tons of kids in orphanage
this is heart wrenching and gut throbbing.
Being a native of the former soviet union, I feel terrible that times ar far from better than they were in communist times, however as long as this denial exists, and people are lied to, reform will not be seen.
i can see both the negative and positive affests of the nurses keeping from the children that they are "Sick" in their repressed convuluted world, it gives the children some hope, however they have the human right to know the truth about themselves.
PHUCK THIS, thanks Vice for having balls and exposing
Subject: *claws her own eyes out* Date: Jul 20 2007 01:20:33 PM Author: caitlin
russia has really NEVER gotten anything right. these kids break my heart. thanks vice.
Subject: one more thing Date: Jul 18 2007 10:22:45 AM Author: K. Parker
I believe that part of the reason the kids are kept in the dark about their HIV status is that even if they did know, so what? The orphanage provides the medicine it provides, but with so many infected there is just a breaking point where the State can not or will not fund the medication for such a large group.
And this is the Russian way. What Sasha said about "not showing weakness" is true for all Russians. If they admit outright to themselves that there is an HIV and AIDS problem, it is to admit it to the world. While the statistics are already out there, a lack o
Subject: Russia Date: Jul 18 2007 10:15:52 AM Author: K. Parker
When I was in Vladivostok July of 2005, a Russian who I befriended and I compared Russian children with American children. Russian children are incredibly well-behaved in public; no screaming or whining, no scenes. She told me that it is still very common to put a little vodka in a baby or child's drink when the child begins to get a cold, or to get sick at all. If a person becomes sick to the point of needing medicine, he must go stay in a state-run hospital. But vodka is still the preliminary "medicine".
Subject: This was a good one. Date: Jul 17 2007 08:44:47 PM Author: Riku Anya
Good article, it was touching and informative... It's sad how these kids don't know that they have HIV. That sucks.... That's life. Is it really that bad in Russia? That's scary as hell...
I would like to know everything about him, what he is doing and why he left me and my mom. But I don’t think about it a lot. You can’t show that you are weak, otherwise other people will bully you."
these kids are so strong.
Subject: h Date: Jul 17 2007 05:12:26 PM Author: h
Further congratulations, a heartbreaking and touching article. Informative as well.
Subject: The People of Russia Date: Jul 16 2007 09:24:16 PM Author: SueD
Some years ago I was there and antibiotics like Neosporin were unheard of. If Putin continues tight control and no freedom of the press, these kids are doomed by their disease and the government. Terrific article and heart wrenching.
I have much more to say but (as lame as it sounds) I really don't know how to articulate it in the space provided, so thank you to Vice for shedding some light on this situation. More people need to become aware of what is happening in Russia so that there can be proper HIV/AIDS education for its citizens and so adequate care can be taken of the infected children.
I actually just returned home two days ago after spending a month volunteering about 100km from Vladimir, and this story really reflects the experience I had there. In the city of 600 000 where I volunteered, there were 10 orphanages, all crowded. I spent most of my time at two of the orphanages and at a hospital for kids; we were never told what any of the children had, only that they were required to take a variety of medications. Many of the children were drugged so badly that they couldn't complete the simple craft exercises we would bring every day. I have much more to say but (as lame a
Subject: sleep Date: Jul 16 2007 10:42:11 AM Author: severine
I can't believe they don't tell the kids they're HIV+. What happens when they start dying?
This article will make it hard to sleep, but thanks for writing it.
Great article, you guys should stick to stuff like this, and quit trying to be the arbiters of pop culture. You have no business telling people whether or not they can wear hats, but if you can put together stories like this, you should keep at it.
Subject: Nice Date: Jul 14 2007 07:38:46 AM Author: Not
Thats heart-wrenching.
Someone told me you need an AIDS test if u want 2 live or study or work in Russia but there dont seem 2 be many internal initiatives.
sad.
I feel so sad for these kids. They have a right to know their history and medical conditions.
Subject: what if Date: Jul 13 2007 11:08:53 AM Author: fikry
"You can get it when you have contact with other people who have HIV. I think you should never have contact with people who have it. They should stay in separate places."
that shit may or may not be as ironic as it gets.
Subject: bravo Date: Jul 13 2007 10:39:03 AM Author: ghb
for not dressing these poor bastards up in fred perry and a.a. and calling it the fashion section. b.t.w., how come these kids are dressed better than anyone in the do's??
Subject: wow. Date: Jul 13 2007 10:03:23 AM Author: wo
that whol situation is fucked. these kids should be alerted as to what is going on.
Subject: dd Date: Jul 13 2007 09:45:50 AM Author: J
People with HIV can look "healthy" for many many years, especially those taking meds. infact, many people are infected with it all over the world and don't even know it.
Subject: d Date: Jul 13 2007 08:02:03 AM Author: d
oh bollox this is exploitation and youre just too dumb to see it
Subject: d Date: Jul 13 2007 08:01:04 AM Author: d
look pretty healthy to me...
Subject: this kinda Date: Jul 13 2007 07:58:29 AM Author: wahleed
shit matters more than bands or fashion an makes for better reading. have the sponsors send em a case of icelandic vodka for their good work
Subject: orphans Date: Jul 13 2007 06:03:18 AM Author: judle
heart breaking article, and always ALWAYS an issue worth media attention.
Subject: kids Date: Jul 13 2007 04:18:22 AM Author: jay
this is really sad. but really good article!
Subject: Well done Date: Jul 13 2007 04:16:02 AM Author: Well done
Well done vice, finally something for people who´s IQ reaches triple digits and not another article about wannabe bands, grime, or something about people who don´t dress "cool".
Subject: agreed Date: Jul 13 2007 04:06:01 AM Author: yes
the last issue sucked balls, but this article makes up for it.
Subject: so, vice has a heart Date: Jul 13 2007 02:11:34 AM Author: impressed
thank you vice for an uncharacteristically sensitive article. more of this please.
just because it's everywhere does not mean it is boring or unimportant.
Subject: well done Date: Jul 13 2007 02:10:23 AM Author: tomt
poor kids... ;_;
Subject: i'm from ukraine) Date: Jul 13 2007 01:52:18 AM Author: zhenya
for the russians its not very interesting. It's everywhere, this is of little importance now
Subject: !!! Date: Jul 13 2007 01:24:40 AM Author: LADYLUCK
Subject: ---> Date: Jul 13 2007 12:21:09 AM Author: montanajudy
See, this is why I keep coming back to this site, for pieces like this. Great start to a new issue, can't be worse than the last one...
Subject: this Date: Jul 13 2007 12:20:22 AM Author: orphans
this is the most insightful, well written article vice has put up for ages. beats the hell out of the ironic posturing that fouls up the rest of the magazine
