The State Duma called for allowing a child to change his name because of bullying without parental permission

Deputy Speaker of the State Duma (GD) Vladislav Davankov addressed the Russian Ministry of Labor with a proposal to allow minors to change their names due to bullying, even without parental permission.

"I consider it necessary to consider the possibility of legislating the right of a child to change his name before reaching adulthood due to bullying, even if parents do not support this decision," RIA Novosti quoted him as saying, which has the appeal in its possession.

According to Davankov, children with unusual or rare names often face bullying at school. Meanwhile, in recent years there is a tendency to give children formally not prohibited by law non-trivial names. Thus, in 2023 only in Moscow newborns were called Donatella, Europa, Kit, Invoker, Mirana, Lunara, etc.

Against this background, the deputy proposed to give the right to the civil registry office to change the name of the child at the request of himself or a representative of the educational organization, which can confirm that the unusual name was the cause of bullying.

"In this case, a new name will be assigned to the child only from the list of traditional names common in Russia. Such a mechanism will ensure a balance between protecting the child's interests and the need to prevent impulsive or unjustified name changes," he added.

On January 23, Irina Manina, a highly qualified psychologist and professional mediator, said that any person who stands out and differs from society can become a victim of bullying. According to the expert, teachers in schools should have mediation skills, i.e. the ability to have a conversation, to listen, to give time to those who feel uncomfortable in the team.

In early April 2024, it was reported that rare names given to newborn girls included Dorofeya, Assol, Efrosinia and Vlada. For boys, parents chose such rare names as Khariton, Bratislav, Pankrat, Klim and Noah". At the same time popular female names were Sofia, Maria, Anna, Vasilisa and Varvara. Boys were often called Mikhail, Alexander, Artem, Lev and Timofey.