What is a curfew for? Curfew: restriction of freedom or guarantee of security

A curfew is a period of time during which it is forbidden for children to be alone in public places. This rule is approved by law. Usually introduced during dangerous periods, as well as in wartime, which avoids many crimes. There is currently a curfew for minors.

Time and age restrictions

For the safety of children, as well as to reduce the crime rate, a curfew has been introduced. Young people from 16 to 18 cannot be in public places after 23:00. And children under 16 at 22 o'clock need to be at home with their elders.

Night walks are only possible with parents or other trusted citizens over the age of 18. The law defines time limits: teenagers should not be alone in public places until 6 am. Local authorities have the right to reduce this time.

Where is it forbidden for children to appear at night?

The curfew in Russia restricts children under 16 from visiting the following places:

  • streets, stadiums, parks, stations, stops;
  • shopping areas, cafes;
  • educational, cultural institutions;
  • entertainment areas.

Legislation

Many rules for the stay of children in public places are enshrined in the Family Code and the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Temporary and age restrictions include the curfew law. In 2009, it included changes consisting of juvenile whereabouts rules. With children under 7 years old, adults must always be present in public places.

Each subject of the Russian Federation has the right to independently establish prohibited places for a child to visit (taking into account local regulations and the level of crime). Authorities may reduce restrictions at night, given the climate and seasonal conditions of the territory, so curfews may vary slightly in each region.

A responsibility

If the child was seen without adults, then the identity of the minor is first established. The authorities will find out his address, phone number, information about his parents. If none of the responsible adults is found, then the child is sent to a specialized institution. All this is done to ensure that the curfew in Russia is observed.

The punishment is provided for adults who release children during the forbidden time. Usually a fine is imposed from 100 rubles to 5000. If the violations were repeated, then the amount becomes larger. Parents and guardians pay. Also, the responsibility lies with those who organize an event with children, after which they go home on their own. The law provides for penalties for institutions that leave minors alone at night outside the home. In this case, the fine is from 10,000 to 50,000 rubles.

Forbidden time in the subjects of Russia

All regions of the country are guided by federal law, although they can independently determine time and age restrictions. Also, the subjects have the right to establish the amount of fines. The summer curfew may vary slightly in each region. In some regions, bans do not apply on holidays and public events. All this is approved by the authorities on the basis of relevant documentation. The law applies to all teenagers.

There is no curfew in St. Petersburg on New Year's Eve. During the school year, children under 16 are not allowed to appear without adults after 22:00, and after 23:00 in summer. From 16 to 18 years of age, the ban is valid from 23:00. In other regions, the curfew for minors may be slightly changed.

The attitude of society to the law

Not all citizens supported such an initiative. When developing the law on forbidden time, the authorities were guided by the fact that parents would not want to pay money for night travel of children. Thanks to such a ban, teenagers will be protected from various factors that can damage their mental, moral, and spiritual development. This should reduce crime, since many illegal acts are committed at night.

Many parents believe that there are some nuances in the law. There are schoolchildren and students who have a part-time job. Naturally, they can return home at night. Teenagers also attend educational events from which they come home late. And not all parents can meet children.

Curfew in Moscow

The law doesn't just apply to children. In Moscow, it applies to transit trucks. Since 2013, this transport has been banned from moving along the Moscow Ring Road and along the ring road from 06:00 to 22:00.

According to the authorities, this innovation will unload the roads of the capital, since most of the transport is freight. Trucks transporting urgent goods or goods can travel on these roads during the daytime. Drivers must have passes, and the rest are offered a detour.

Bans in other countries

Curfews also apply in other countries. In most civilized countries, children under 16 years of age are forbidden to appear anywhere without adults at night. The main purpose of the ban is to prevent crime.

In the US, the ban also applies during the daytime. During the school period, children should not be outside the educational institution. France also has restrictions because of the dangers. Due to the terrorist attacks, attendance at mass events is prohibited. Such laws protect society from crime and other adverse events.

In cases where the authorities of a state cannot fully control security on the streets of large cities, as well as in the event of a mass potential danger, for example, in the event of a terrorist threat or on the eve of a natural disaster, it imposes certain restrictions on citizens. Typically, these restrictions are referred to as curfews and encourage community assistance and make it easier for law enforcement to keep order on the streets.

Features of the introduction and legal regulation of the curfew

The curfew imposed in the city has a legal basis and is regulated by the Constitution of the country and the Family Code, and in addition, Federal Law No. 124 applies to persons under the age of 18. In accordance with these laws, minors or all categories of citizens in the case of , if the territory of their residence is a potential danger, must comply with the following requirements:

  • Not to appear on the streets or in places intended for leisure or entertainment, after a certain time set in the requirements of the authorities.
  • Persons under the age of 18 do not have the right to be in places where alcoholic products are sold without being accompanied by elders.
  • All children under the age of 7 have the right to be in crowded places only if accompanied by adults authorized to take care of them.
  • Local governments in each region of the country have the privilege to independently determine the curfew conditions in the territory. This situation is associated with the aggravation of specific problems in the area, as well as with the tension in the sphere of the criminogenic situation, which in turn directly depends on the stability of the economic situation.
  • Violation of the rules entails administrative liability in the form of a fine or other disciplinary action, depending on the severity of the consequences of ignoring the law.
  • The implementation of the requirements of the law is monitored by law enforcement agencies patrolling the streets of the city.

Important! These measures are taken in the state or its individual subjects in order to reduce the crime situation in the area and protect the population from encroachments on the life, health and property of citizens, as well as to ensure more productive isolation of asocial individuals. As a rule, the curfew time is from 22:00 to 23:00.

Teenagers on the street

Curfew for minors

All teenagers are required to obey the current law that establishes a curfew, and while for other citizens it is valid only for a certain period of time, for minors this ban has been introduced on a permanent basis. So, according to the requirements of the authorities, children and adolescents do not have the right to the following actions:

  • Walking, as well as staying on the street, stadiums, restaurants, shops, stops, train stations or other places intended for the general public after 23:00 without being accompanied by authorized persons or older relatives if their age is from 16 to 18 years.
  • Carry out the same actions, but after 22:00, when the teenager is not yet 16 years old.
  • For all ages of children and teenagers, the curfew ends at 06:00, when the activity begins in the city, and people rush to do different things, filling the streets.
  • The summer curfew in some federal subjects, especially in the North-Western part of Russia, where there are white nights, can be shifted until midnight.
  • In autumn and winter, as a rule, all prohibitions on the stay of minors outside the home begin at 22:00.
  • The winter curfew period, as a rule, starts from 01.11 to 31.03, summer - from 01.04 to 30.10.
  • In some regions of the country, for example, in the Leningrad region, during the festive festivities on New Year's Eve, the curfew is canceled altogether, as the authorities record a significant decrease in crime during this period. In addition, this relief is present in local legislative documents in various regions, since national, ethnic, religious and other holidays can be observed there.

Detention for violating the ban

Important! The ban was introduced in 2010, and since then more than 5,000 violations of this regime have been identified, as a result of which thousands of parents have been subjected to significant fines, and the crime rate in the country has almost halved in the last five years.

Who is eligible to act as escorts during the ban

Not every outsider has the right to play the role of an escort, since he must have certain public powers. Thus, the following persons have the right to accompany minors during the time limited for staying outside the home:

  • The child's parents or one of them.
  • Official guardians, endowed with legal authority to exercise parental rights and responsibilities.
  • Trustees, adoptive parents, as well as official authorized employees of institutions intended for long-term or short-term stay of children and adolescents, namely schools, universities, colleges, children's camps, etc.
  • Representatives of guardianship and guardianship authorities.
  • Bodies that carry out outreach activities aimed at maintaining the health of young people.
  • Social services, various rehabilitation institutions (including sanatoriums), labor and recreation camps at schools or other institutions, sports schools that hold field competitions, however, in such cases, the organizers of the event use chartered transport.
  • Other persons and representatives of organizations endowed with permanent or temporary powers to carry out educational and preventive work with the younger generation.

Important! When checking the accompanying person during the curfew by law enforcement officers, he is obliged to present the documents or license certificates he has that give him the right to stay next to the child.

Danger at night

What is the liability for violating the prohibition?

Any violation of the current legislation entails some kind of punishment, and ignoring the curfew is no exception. So, the teenager himself or his responsible guardian may be subject to the following types of administrative action if he is outside at the wrong time:

  • If a minor is over 16 years old, he will personally be fined in the amount of 100 to 500 rubles*, which is exactly what is required to draw up a resolution and pay for the work of the police. However, unfortunately, such punishment, alas, is often not enough.
  • In those situations when a teenager, who found himself on the street without parents at a forbidden time, caught the eye of law enforcement officers, he will be taken to the station, where his guardians will be called for a preventive conversation and the same fine will be issued.
  • If a legal entity or its responsible representatives, including employees of various state structures, are behind the violation of this prohibition, the amount of punishment may already be from 10.0 to 50.0 thousand rubles. depending on the time of day, the region where the offense was committed and the activities that teenagers were doing during the prohibited time.
  • If during the period of violation of the prohibition any non-standard situation occurs leading to death, harm to health, loss or damage to the property of a minor, parents may bear responsibility for it, as persons who are obliged to fully ensure that the teenager complies with the laws of the country. Thus, as a result of the occurrence of such situations, guardians can be fined large sums, placed under arrest, deprived of parental rights, and in the most difficult scenarios, criminal liability arises.

Curfew Schedule

Important! Punishments for violating the curfew are stipulated in Article 5.35 of the Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation, which tells about the onset of administrative responsibility for failure to fulfill the assigned social duties on parents or guardians for the upbringing of a minor citizen. In addition, in high school for children in social studies lessons, they necessarily inspire the need to comply with the requirements of this section of the code.

Conditions for lifting the curfew

The introduction of a curfew is a fairly common practice in many countries, especially for minors. So, during its operation in the state, not only the level of crime against adolescents, or, on the contrary, on their part, is falling, but also control over such pressing issues as teenage alcoholism or drug addiction is also being strengthened. However, in a number of countries, from time to time, these laws become unpopular and are criticized, and this happens for the following reasons:

  • First of all, if the curfew was a temporary phenomenon, for example, during riots, armed conflict or before a natural disaster, then when the external danger leaves, it will be canceled, since the risk to life and health of people ends.
  • When the country's authorities set themselves specific goals in reducing the crime situation in the city and achieve these goals after a few years.
  • In cases where trade union organizations, human rights societies or democratic parties that have political weight in the state initiate unrest and mass criticism, claiming that the curfew violates the rights and freedoms of citizens.

Lifting the curfew

Important! Regardless of criticism, parents and guardians of adolescents, understanding the level of their responsibility in the absence of external prohibitions, are not at all happy with such indulgences and do not support the absence of a curfew.

In conclusion, it should be noted that the establishment of a curfew is by no means intended to violate the rights and freedoms of a democratic society, and all efforts are aimed at ensuring the safety of the population. Thus, traffic rules have been established on the roads of the Russian Federation, safety requirements are in force at production facilities, swimming and movement of small vessels are prohibited in coastal cities during a storm, and all citizens understand the desire to take care of them on the part of the authorities. The introduction of a curfew should also be taken into account, given that most offenses, crimes or antisocial acts are committed at night, with a limited number of people outside their homes.

Teen work

However, these situations also have a downside, since many conscious teenagers aged 16 and older can already study at universities for 2 years and come home late, and some of them even try to earn extra money to secure a decent young life or help their parents. . Often, such employment happens in the evening, and, sometimes, at night. Thus, returning home after work at 00:00, a teenager falls under the ban, despite the nobility of his actions, and in this case there is a certain conflict between the requirements of the law and the problems of the emancipation of children, as well as their adaptation in society.

*Amounts of fines are current for 2018.

Each subject has the right to independently establish prohibited places for a child to visit (taking into account local regulations and the general criminal level). The authorities have the right to reduce restrictions at night, taking into account the climate and seasonal conditions of the area, for this reason, in each region, the features of the curfew are slightly different. In fact, the permitted place at a later time for minors is their own home. Responsibility What happens if a child walks at the wrong time? Responsibility for violation of the law is provided for in Article 5.35 of the Code of Administrative Offenses (failure to fulfill obligations for the maintenance and upbringing of a minor child). Usually parents have to pay a fine. If the child is seen without adults, the police will first establish his identity, the phone number of the parents, information about them, their occupation.

Curfew for underage teenagers

With repeated offenses, parents and guardians may be deprived of their rights in relation to the child. Officials conducting activities for teenagers, etc.


(camps educators, employees of sanatoriums, etc.) are also responsible for their underage wards.

Info

In case of detention of a teenager temporarily transferred under their responsibility, the fine is paid by these officials. The amount of the fine varies from two and a half to five thousand rubles.


Thus, children and adolescents are always under someone's responsibility and state protection. Violation of the requirements of the curfew, with an established and proven fact, will certainly entail punishment.

Curfew for minors in 2018

Legislation The time limit for children and adolescents in public places by the Family (SK) Code of the Russian Federation and the Constitution of our state, as well as:

  • Federal Law No. 124 of July 24, 1998 “On the Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in the Russian Federation”, in particular its article 14.1 “On Measures to Promote the Mental, Moral, Physical and Spiritual Development of Children”;
  • Federal Law No. 71 “On Amendments to Federal Law No. 124” dated April 28, 2009

Regional authorities have the right:

  • determine the list of public places;
  • to reduce the age of adolescents in accordance with local traditions, until which their independent stay on the street is unacceptable;
  • reduce the allowed time limit in accordance with weather and climatic conditions.

Therefore, parents should focus not only on Federal legislation.

What time is the curfew in Moscow for a 16-year-old guy?

Family law Curfew for underage teenagers Curfew is a prohibition to stay on the street, public places without appropriate permission at certain times of the day (usually at night). This rule, approved by law, is introduced in dangerous periods, in wartime in order to avoid many crimes or as a guarantee of the safety of the younger generation, as well as to establish and maintain order, reduce the number of victims in a state of emergency.
In peacetime, a curfew is a period of time during which children are not allowed to be alone in public places. Most crimes are committed at night.
In different regions of the Russian Federation, age limits and time frames regarding curfews differ. Consider the rules and features of the curfew for minors in 2018.

About the curfew for minors

When a minor is detained in the wrong place at a prohibited time, a police officer draws up a protocol. The document specifies in detail where, at what time and under what circumstances the neglected child was found.

Attention

A copy of the protocol is given to parents. If they do not agree with the fact of detention, they can challenge it in a higher body or district court. What is the punishment? Any violation of the law entails punishment, and curfews are no exception.


At the first admission of a child being out of the house unaccompanied by adults at night, parents can count on a warning or they will have to pay a fine of one hundred to five hundred rubles. In case of repeated cases (especially within one year), the amount of the fine can be increased to three to five thousand rubles.

Curfew

Can the detention of a child be challenged? When a child is detained, a protocol is drawn up, which indicates the date and place of its compilation, position, surname and initials of the person who drew up the protocol, information about the detained person, time, place and motives for detention. The record of administrative detention is signed by the official who drew it up and by the detainee.

If the detainee refuses to sign the protocol, an appropriate entry is made in the administrative detention protocol. A copy of the protocol on administrative detention is handed over to the detainee at his request. (Article 27.4. Code of the Russian Federation on Administrative Offenses).

  • In case of disagreement with the protocol and the fact of detention, the parent has the right to challenge it to a higher authority, a higher official or to the district court at the scene of the incident.

Curfew at 16. "non-childish" time in Russia and other countries

Institutions that "sheltered" a teenager at night can be fined from ten to fifty thousand rubles. They, too, should abide by the curfew for minors.

Violation Alas, many of the parents neglect the laws and regulations. They forget to educate their children, they are skeptical about the structure of the security system of the younger generation.

They do not pay due attention to this, and as a result, they pay dearly. A fine is not the worst punishment, given that the child may suffer or not return home at all.

Violators are parents and guardians who are unable or unwilling to control their children and wards. With repeated violations, they are invited to the commission on juvenile affairs and may be deprived of parental rights.

Curfew in Moscow for minors

Until what time is the curfew? The law establishes the extension of restrictions on the free movement of adolescents at night until 6 am. Local authorities have the right to reduce this time. Legislation Curfew procedures are regulated by the family code and the Constitution of the Russian Federation. Since 2009, the Federal Law “On Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in the Russian Federation” has been amended to define the rules for minors to be in public places at night. Children under 7 years of age should not be outside the home without an adult at any time of the day. What is the curfew for minors? Persons under the age of 18 should return to their parents before 22:00. Each subject of the Russian Federation independently establishes forbidden places to visit in accordance with local regulations and the criminal situation.
Failure to take measures to prevent the presence at night (from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.) of minors under the age of 18, unaccompanied by parents (persons replacing them) or persons carrying out activities involving minors, at facilities (on territories, in premises ) legal entities or individual entrepreneurs who are intended to provide services in the field of public catering, entertainment, leisure, where retail sale and drinking of beer and drinks produced on its basis, alcoholic products are provided - entails the imposition of an administrative fine on officials in the amount of from two thousand five hundred to five thousand rubles; for legal entities - from ten thousand to thirty thousand rubles. 3.

What time is the curfew for children in Moscow

From September 1, they are required to return home an hour earlier, as the curfew is being reduced. Criticism Not all citizens enthusiastically adopted the law on "non-childish" time.

But the normative act was created to protect minors from negative factors that affect the mental, moral, spiritual education of the younger generation. However, many parents claim that the legislation does not take into account various nuances.

Some high school students and underage students have to earn extra money after class and return home after midnight. Other children attend sports sections and other additional activities that can last until late.

The ban on movement at night also includes the inability to travel in public transport, which also makes it difficult for minors to return to their homes.

  • measures to prevent the presence of children (persons under the age of 18) at night in public places, including streets, stadiums, parks, squares, public vehicles, facilities (in territories, premises) of legal entities or citizens engaged in entrepreneurial activities without forming a legal entity, which are intended to provide access to the Internet, as well as to provide services in the field of trade and public catering (organizations or points), for entertainment, leisure, where, in accordance with the procedure established by law, retail sale of alcoholic products, beer and drinks made on its basis, and in other public places without the accompaniment of parents (persons replacing them) or persons carrying out events with the participation of children.

For example, in Moscow, according to Art.

Most of the crimes are committed at night. For example, it is more convenient for robbers to carry out attacks on civilians in order to seize their property at night, so that it would be more difficult for the victims to identify them later. Therefore, in order to protect adolescents, the state has introduced some temporary restrictions on the presence in public places of persons under the age of 18.

Curfew in Russia for minors

Today's youth lives very differently compared to 50 years ago. Everyone wants to grow up quickly, not listen to lectures from their parents and become independent as soon as possible. Therefore, cases of children leaving home in an unknown direction have become more frequent, and all in order to annoy their parents and prove their importance and adulthood. According to sad statistics, many of them do not return home. Not all fathers and mothers have the opportunity to influence their child in any way. It is for this reason that government agencies have introduced a curfew at the legislative level, in the hope that this provision will protect children from accidents, as well as save many parents from nervous breakdowns.

In general, stricter time limits come when curfews are enforced in the fall. Similar measures are also taken to reduce juvenile delinquency and teenage homelessness, thereby providing protection to children who need it. If these measures are observed, there is a possibility of reducing the number of crimes in our country.

How long does the curfew last

The terms of the time limit apply only to minor children, and according to our legislation, they are young people under the age of 18. There is even language such as curfew for students. After all, studying in a higher educational institution does not mean the presence of the age of majority.
Commandant's tea in each season has a different time frame and differs by age categories. There are differences in time limits for visiting public places in different regions of our country.

Find out what threatens to violate the curfew and how to justify yourself by getting advice from a lawyer. Choose the best lawyer from the list:

What time to what time curfew

The general rules are permission to be at night on the street or in an institution:

  • persons under 16 years of age are allowed to be out of the house until 22.00 hours;
  • persons from 16-18 years old are allowed to be on the street until 23.00 hours.

In both cases, leaving the house is allowed by the government only from 6.00 in the morning. In other situations, during the curfew, they have the right to be somewhere outside the walls of the house only in the presence of their parents, or you are in the presence of persons who have the right to take on such responsibility.

Is there a curfew on new year

The curfew is in effect throughout the year, and no one canceled it on New Year's Eve. Because This holiday is celebrated by absolutely everyone and throughout the country. Therefore, most citizens can be intoxicated, which can lead to serious consequences. For example, many citizens allow themselves, being in a state of intoxication, to get behind the wheel of their car, which to a large extent can lead to accidents in which teenagers can suffer. In order to save them, the government created a similar order in terms of time and New Year's Eve is no exception to the rule.
If children want to celebrate this holiday in their company, then this is allowed in the presence of one of the parents or guardian.

Curfew by law

This time limit for teenagers to visit public places is regulated by the federal laws of our country. Namely:

  • the Constitution of the Russian Federation;
  • Family Code of the Russian Federation;
  • Law "On Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in the Russian Federation".

These legislative acts set out a list of rights and obligations of both adolescents and their legal representatives. The public places in which a minor has the right to be, as well as the established time frame, are stipulated.

Along with the already established regulations, self-government bodies can make changes to restrictions on both the time spent in public places and the age category of children. In each region of our country, such provisions may be different, although they are based on the same criteria.

Curfew violation

If employees of the police or the juvenile committee see a child in the wrong place and at the wrong time, they are obliged to immediately call the parents. If the parents cannot come for their child, law enforcement officers will deliver their child home. In situations where children cannot, for some reason, explain or communicate their place of residence. they are taken to the police station for further clarification of the circumstances.

Parents must then provide all information about the reason their child violated the ordinance. If this incident occurred for the first time, then legal representatives can only receive a warning, or a fine will be imposed.

Penalty for violating curfew

The fine for violating the curfew is paid by the parents of children who disobeyed the order and were outside the walls of their house at night. The amount and methods of payment of the imposed fine are regulated at the legislative level. Typically, such a fine ranges from 2500-5000 rubles.

Lifting the curfew

The cancellation of such an order by the government does not cause much joy in adults who are parents.
The practice of such innovations in a number of other countries shows a decrease in juvenile delinquency, as well as among them.

And in our country, according to statistical data, a reduction in the level of crime among teenagers by 17% per year, and cases of administrative violations committed by teenagers by 20% has been proven.

Observing such indicators, it should be noted that such a rule gives only positive qualities to the country.

Popular questions about this article

Why did Russia introduce a curfew for minors?

Such measures have been taken to reduce juvenile delinquency, thereby providing protection to children in need. If the curfew is observed, there is a possibility of a decrease in the incidence of crimes in our country.

How long does the curfew last?

The time limit applies only to minors. According to our legislation, they are young people under the age of 18.

How long does the curfew cover?

Going out of the house is allowed by the government only from 6 in the morning. In the evening, the following restrictions apply: - Under 16s are allowed out until 22:00; - persons from 16 to 18 years old are allowed to be on the street until 23:00.

Is there a curfew on New Year's Eve?

The curfew is in effect throughout the year, and no one canceled it on New Year's Eve. If children want to celebrate this holiday in their company, then this is allowed in the presence of one of the parents or guardian.

Curfew is now understood almost exclusively at night, when minors (usually under the age of 16) are forbidden to stay on the street and in other public places without parents or trusted adults. In addition, a curfew is introduced in wartime, during riots, natural disasters and other special cases.

Curfew, that is, a ban on visiting the street and other public places at night, helps to reduce crime and maintain public order, that is, it is a kind of guarantor of the safety of minors.

What time is the curfew?

The curfew in Russia applies to minors, from 7 to 18 years old. But this does not mean that a child who is not yet 7 years old can safely walk at night without adults. Just the fact that he should already be at home at a later time is clear to everyone and everyone.

By law, a child under 7 years of age, even in the daytime, must be on the street only accompanied by parents or relatives (with the possible exception of house adjoining territories and playgrounds close to the house).

For teenagers from 7 to 18 years old, the following restrictions apply:

  • Children under the age of 16 have the right to be on the street or in other public places without parents or other adults only until 10 pm. In summer, this period is extended to 23 hours;
  • Children between the ages of 16 and 18 are allowed to be outside at any time of the year until 23:00;
  • In both cases, the curfew ends only at 6 am.

In some regions, local regulations are being adopted that lift the curfew for children on New Year's Eve (from December 31 to January 1), as well as on other state or municipal holidays organized by local authorities. An example of this is St. Petersburg.

However, in many other regions, the ban on minors visiting the street at night is always in effect, without exception.

Which places are prohibited from visiting?

Recall that in addition to the street at night, children are forbidden to visit on their own:

  • retail outlets and the territory adjacent to them, entertainment centers;
  • parks, stadiums and stations;
  • catering points (especially those where the sale of alcohol is allowed);
  • cultural and educational institutions;
  • public transport stops.

It turns out that the curfew for teenagers applies to any public places and streets. Children at night are allowed to be without their parents exclusively at home or at the home of close relatives.

Who is allowed to accompany children at night?

At night in the summer or at any other time of the year, all minors must be accompanied only by their parents or persons in whose care they are. These may be guardianship authorities, representatives of those organizations where minors permanently reside (for example, orphanages), as well as their adoptive parents or guardians.

Children under 18 during curfew are allowed to be on the street and with adults who organize any social, cultural, sports, entertainment or rehabilitation events at night. Other adults may be accompanying them, but they must have a power of attorney from the parents to accompany the child.

It would be useful to issue a power of attorney even to the grandparents or other closest relatives of the child, since it is quite difficult to prove the degree of relationship on the street when checking documents.

Legislative rationale

The issues of staying of minors at night on the street and in other public places are indirectly regulated by the Family Code and the Constitution of the Russian Federation, but most of all this topic is presented in Federal Law No. 124-FZ "On Basic Guarantees of the Rights of the Child in the Russian Federation" dated July 24, 1998, namely in article 14.1 of this document. This normative act was significantly supplemented by a separate Federal Law No. 71-FZ of April 20, 2014.

In accordance with Federal Law No. 71, a ban was introduced on independent visits by minors at night to streets and other public places, especially if alcohol is sold in these places. Children under 7 years of age and at all on the basis of this law must always be in public places with their parents, guardians, adoptive parents or other authorized adults.

However, in addition to federal laws, local self-government bodies are also entitled to make additions and restrictions to the concept of “curfew”, based on the general criminal situation in the region and local customary practices. For example, local governments can:

  • supplement or narrow the list of public places where curfew is in effect;
  • change the start and end time of the curfew, in accordance with the weather, climate or other features of the region;
  • change the age of minors who are prohibited from being outside at night without adults (or introduce different age categories of teenagers, for whom curfew duration may vary).

What are the risks of violating the curfew?

As soon as law enforcement officials notice a lonely teenager on the street at night, they will immediately try to contact his parents. If for some reason the parents cannot come and pick up their child, the police are obliged to deliver him to the house on their own. If it is not possible to call the parents and at the same time the child cannot clearly explain where he lives, he is taken to the local police station to clarify all the circumstances.

After the parents can still be contacted, they will be required to give an account of why their child was in a public place at night completely alone (or with the same underage friends). If this offense was committed for a good reason or for the first time, then the parents will almost certainly get off with a verbal warning.

If the child is not found on the street for the first time during the curfew, then his parents will be issued an administrative fine. In various subjects of the Russian Federation, its value is within from 2500 to 5000 rubles.

The amount of the fine can vary considerably. Thus, for adolescents aged 16 to 18 years, the fine is often less than for children under 16 years of age. Organizations that allow a child to violate curfew requirements pay more than ordinary parents. Repeated violation of the curfew (within one calendar year) in some regions may be punished by a fine significantly exceeding 5,000 rubles.

Curfew in some subjects of the Russian Federation

In many subjects of the Russian Federation, the curfew depends on the time of year. In winter, it usually starts at 10 pm and lasts until 6 am, and in summer it decreases by one hour and is valid from 11 pm to 6 am. That's just the so-called "winter" and "summer" time in the regions are often understood differently. For instance:

  • In St. Petersburg, summer time is the period from June 1 to August 31, that is, it completely coincides with the calendar summer. During this period, the curfew is in effect from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Winter time, respectively, begins on September 1 and ends on May 31 (curfew from 10 pm to 6 am);
  • In Moscow, the Altai Territory, as well as in the Kemerovo Region and many other regions, the period from April 1 to October 31 is considered summer time, and the period from November 1 to March 31 is considered winter;
  • Perm and the entire Perm Territory consider the period from May 1 to September 30 as summer time, and from October 1 to April 30 as winter time.

Some subjects of the Russian Federation even allow teenagers to stay on the street on their own, without adults, at least all night long in the summer. An example of this is Bryansk. And in Bashkiria, in 2014, they passed a law that established a fixed curfew at any time of the year from 24:00 at night to 6:00 in the morning. It only applies to children under the age of 17.