ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Dima Yakovlev Law

The Dima Yakovlev Law is a law that was passed in Russia in 2012. It is named after a little boy named Dima Yakovlev, who was adopted from Russia by an American family in 2008. Unfortunately, Dima died just a few months later when his adoptive father left him in a hot car for several hours.

The law was created in response to this tragedy and it prohibits American families from adopting Russian children. This means that if an American family wants to adopt a child from Russia, they are not allowed to do so.

The reason for this law is that many Russian officials believe that American families are not able to provide the same level of care and cultural understanding for the children they adopt. They also believe that American families are using adoption as a means to traffic children out of Russia.

The Dima Yakovlev Law has been controversial and has caused a lot of sadness for American families who had been hoping to adopt Russian children. However, it is important to remember that the law was put in place to protect children and ensure that they are being raised in safe and loving homes.