Finnish social services give Zavgorodnyaya 30 days to give up children
HELSINKI. Dec 5 (Interfax) - Russian citizen Anastasiya Zavgorodnyaya, who lives in Finland, said the Finnish social services have suggested that she give up her children.
"I have been offered to sign a document stating that I am giving up my children voluntarily. They have made the same offer to my husband," Zavgorodnyaya told Interfax on Tuesday.
"Naturally, my husband and I have no intention of signing such documents. The children have now been removed from our family and [child protective services] are preparing to place them in a foster family or shelter," she said.
Zavgorodnyaya said she has "30 days to make a voluntary decision, and after that the case will be tried in court within another 30 days."
"They told me the documents are being prepared for trial. They will not call us to the trial. The decision will be made in a closed hearing based on documents," she said.
In early October, the Finnish child protective services seized four children, including a baby that was a mere five days old, from Anastasiya Zavgorodnyaya, who lives in Finland, citing violence in the family. Zavgorodnyaya was allowed to stay in a special facility and then at home with her newborn under the child protective services' supervision after the Russian Embassy in Finland intervened in the situation.
On November 15, the Finnish child protective services seized the children again, accusing Zavgorodnyaya of not observing her rehabilitation program. The children are now living in the shelter with their father, who has Finnish and Sudanese citizenship.