Russia orders doctors to carry out 'virginity tests' on underage girls

Critics said young girls who had had sex would be reluctant to see doctors out of embarrassment - even if they had caught a sexual disease. Above, a stock image of a clinic in Russia

A row has erupted in Russia after doctors were instructed to perform virginity checks on underage schoolgirls.

Doctors have begun implementing an order from the Russian Investigative Committee - seen as the equivalent of the FBI - demanding that all medical evidence of sex involving girls under the age of 16 should be reported to the police.

The edict has led to an angry backlash with claims that girls will avoid going to clinics even when they have sexually transmitted diseases or pregnancies.

Russia's health ministry has joined newspapers and social media in lashing out at the virginity checks for young girls.

Vladimir Shuldyakov, health minister in Saratov region, provoked the storm by publicly ordering medics to obey the investigative committee's instructions.

Doctors must 'inform police about all cases when virginity was lost as well as about cases of pregnancies and abortions involving girls under 16 years old', he demanded.

Specifically, the order instructs doctors to check girls 'and report all cases when the integrity of the hymen is damaged'.

The Russian Health Ministry put itself at loggerheads with the Investigative Committee in attacking the move in Saratov with Omsk region also believed to carry out the checks ' in secret'.

Health minister for Saratov Vladimir Shuldyakov, pictured above, provoked the storm by ordering doctors to obey the instructions of the investigative committee

Yelena Uvarova, chief gynaecologist for children and adolescents, branded the virginity tests 'absolutely unacceptable' and questioned their legality.

Newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets warned the checks would lead to a 'sad result'.

'Imagine a young girl in love, her sleepless nights, her pleasures and horrors and her wish to hide her secret,' said its report.

'And she gets health problems - a sexually transmitted disease or suffers another gynaecological condition.

'Does she go to the doctor who will find out about her 'damaged hymen' and report her to the police? 

'And her tender secret will then go on a police record and later reach her parents, teachers and classmates?

'For sure this girl will not go to the doctor and then who knows how it will affect her future life and health?'

One social media critic said underage sex should be a problem for families to resolve 'not government bodies'.

Another complained: 'The minister and police have nothing else to do... we live in medieval times.'

An opponent added: 'Why do they want to report about girl only? What about boys who are not virgins....I am against early sex but reporting it to the police is idiotic.'

There were predictions that it would lead to doctors being bribed by wealthy parents to sign papers that their daughters were still virgins even if are were not.

But many commenters agreed with the move.

'Right decision,' wrote one. 'I worked at a school and watched 14-year-old students who went out with with much older men.

'And I have known girls who had abortions at such an early age. 

'Children should study and not have sex. But it is a complex problem.

'Look at those music TV channels, so vulgar, and there is so much dirt in the internet and on social networks.

'Somebody is deliberately seducing young people in Russia.' 

Culled from daily mail