Anna Yuryevna Kuznetsova (; born 3 January 1982) is a Russian politician serving as Member and Deputy Chair of the State Duma since 2021. Previously, she was Children's Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation between 2016 and 2021.
Early life
Kuznetsova was born 3 January 1982 in Penza, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. Her father was a builder and her mother was an engineer. She also has a brother. In 1997, she attended Secondary School Number 72 in Penza. From 1998 to 1999, she studied at the Pedagogical Lyceum No. 3, which was also in Penza. In 2003, she graduated from the V.G. Belinsky Penza State Pedagogical University (currently the PSU), qualifying as a "psychological teacher".
Early career
Kuznetsova then began her social activities as a volunteer. She looked after children in the regional children's hospital. In 2008 until 2010, she was the founder of the public organisation, Blagovest along while her husband was the chairman.
In 2011, Kuznetsova founded the Pokrov Foundation which provides assistance to large and low-income families. In the Penza region of Russia, the fund contributed to the implementation of the comprehensive demographic program "Life is a sacred gift", where one of the main goals was prevention aimed at reducing the number of abortions. In that same year, she initiated the All-Russian festival competition for youth social groups. The purpose of which was the creation and preservation of family values.
In 2014, Kuznetsova joined the All-Russian Popular Front. Immediately after that, her foundation, the Pokrov Foundation received a grant from the state and funding for the creation of a Maternity Protection Center with a permanent shelter for mothers with children in difficult life situations. A year later, Kuznetsova lead the Penza Executive Committee. She contributed to the inspections of maternity hospitals and the obstetric care system. Around the same time, she was the head of the regional brands of the Mother of Russia organisation. Further assistance of Kuznetsova's career was provided by the first deputy head of the presidential administration, Vyacheslav Volodin.
Kuznetsova holds pro-life views. According to some media, she expressed support for telegony in an interview for a Penza Medical Journal; however, she denied that claim, stating her disbelief in telegony.
Since 2015, Kuznetsova has been the Chairman of the Association of the Organisation for the Protection of the Family, member of the Women's Council under the Governor of the Penza Region, Assistant to the Chairman of the Commission of the Interfaith Interaction and involved with Assistance in the Protection of Freedom of Conscience of the Public Chamber of the Penza Region.
At September 2015, Kuznetsova entered the working group to develop proposals for additional regulation of the activities of socially oriented non-profit organisations. In that same year, President Vladimir Putin signed a decree according to which the Pokrov Foundation became the operator of presidential grants.
In 2016, before she was assigned as the Children's Rights Commissioner, Kuznetsova participated in the election primaries of the political party United Russia. She came fifth place in the party group results.
Political career
Children's Rights Commissioner
2016
On 9 September 2016, Kuznetsova was appointed the role of the Children's Rights Commissioner for the President of the Russian Federation with President Vladimir Putin, assigning the role.
In December 2016, she created a register of sexual predators and pedophiles in order to prevent them from working in any educational institutions in Russia. It was then proposed to introduce a lifelong administrative control over pedophiles in March 2017.
2017–2018
In January 2017, Kuznetsova took part in the highly publicised seizure of ten foster children from the Moscow Del Family. This began after a statement from a kindergarten teacher who saw bruises on the body of one of the children, later establishing that in fact the children had HIV. After studying the circumstances of the case, the commission of psychologists of the center for social support of the city Zelenograd made a decision to stop any further foster children to stay with that family. This was supported by the head of the Moscow Department of Labour and Social Protection.