Exposing Europe's guilty secret: the incarcerated children of Bulgaria L'esposizione in Europa colpevole segreto: i bambini in carcere di Bulgaria

Rosa Monckton Rosa Monckton

It is the smell that assaults you - filthy nappies, unwashed babies, rotting flesh. E 'l'odore che si assalti - pannolini sporchi, unwashed neonati, marciume carne. Then you are hit by the silence, an eerie, unnatural silence, the silence of babies who have given up hope of ever being consoled, cuddled or comforted. Poi si sono colpiti dal silenzio, un misterioso, innaturale silenzio, il silenzio dei bambini, che hanno rinunciato alla speranza di essere sempre consolata, coccolati o conforto. It is the dreadful quiet of starving, neglected, unloved children waiting to die. E 'la terribile quiete della fame, trascurata, unloved bambini in attesa di morire.

I was in an institution for children aged three and younger in Bulgaria, and I found myself crouching beside a cot so that the duty “nurse”, who was three rooms away but who could survey all the rooms through the viewing glass placed in each dividing wall, was unable to see me. Sono stato in un istituto per bambini di età compresa tra tre e giovani in Bulgaria, e mi sono trovato accovacciato accanto a un lettino in modo che il dovere "infermiere", che era di tre stanze di distanza, ma che potrebbe indagine tutte le camere attraverso la visualizzazione di vetro posti in ogni dividendo muro, non è stato in grado di vedermi. All I could see at this level were bars stretching all the way to the viewing station, bars imprisoning these children, whose only crime is to have been born. Tutto quello che ho potuto vedere, a questo livello, sono stati tutti i bar si estende fino alla stazione di visualizzazione, bar imprigionando questi bambini, il cui unico crimine è quello di essere nata. What sort of a Europe is it that consigns innocent babies and children to a life like this - a life bereft of all hope? Che tipo di Europa che si consegna innocenti neonati e bambini a una vita di questo tipo - una vita priva di ogni speranza?

The poor child whose cot I was hiding next to had hydrocephalus. Il povero bambino la cui culla era nascosto ho avuto accanto a idrocefalo. His swollen head was turned to one side, and I could see his brain oozing out of his skull. La sua testa è stata trasformata gonfia da un lato, e ho potuto vedere il suo cervello oozing dal suo cranio. The girl in the adjacent cot was so pitifully thin that she looked flattened, like a cardboard cut-out. La ragazza nella culla accanto pitifully era così sottile che guardò appiattiti, come un cartone cut-out. The next one along had his legs tied together, with an old pillow case pulled over them - I felt a huge growth on one of his spindle-like legs. L'ordine del giorno uno lungo aveva le gambe legate insieme, con un vecchio cuscino caso tirato su di loro - ho sentito un enorme crescita su uno dei suoi mandrino-come gambe.

The children in this particular wing have no human contact. I bambini in questa particolare ala non hanno alcun contatto umano. They are fed lying on their backs, and have their nappies changed only when there happens to be a supply of new ones. Essi sono alimentati situata sulle loro spalle, e loro hanno solo cambiato i pannolini quando ci accade di essere una fornitura di nuovi. Not one single word is uttered to them, so none of them is able to talk. Non una sola parola è pronunciata a loro, in modo che nessuno di loro è in grado di parlare. This is how they live, and this is how they die. Questo è il modo in cui vivono, e questo è il modo in cui morire.

Over the past few months I have visited eight institutions in Bulgaria, and have been staggered by the total lack of humanity. Negli ultimi mesi ho visitato otto istituzioni in Bulgaria, e sono stati scaglionati dalla totale mancanza di umanità. The baby world does not exist for these children. Il bambino mondo non esistono per questi bambini.

Children in Western Europe are institutionalised because of abuse and neglect, whereas in other parts of Europe, particularly the old communist countries, it is because of abandonment and disability. Bambini in Europa occidentale sono istituzionalizzati a causa di abusi e di abbandono, mentre in altre parti d'Europa, in particolare per i vecchi paesi comunisti, che è causa di abbandono e di disabilità. In Eastern Europe there is still a widely held belief that disabled children are best dealt with by being removed from their families and separated from society. In Europa orientale vi è ancora molto diffusa convinzione che i bambini disabili sono meglio trattate da essere rimossi dalle loro famiglie e separato dalla società.

So the flow of children into the institutional system continues, with many parents being forced by the State to hand over their children at the moment of birth if a disability has been diagnosed. Quindi, il flusso dei bambini nel sistema istituzionale continua, con molti genitori costretti dallo Stato a consegnare i loro figli al momento della nascita, se uno è stata diagnosticata la disabilità. Bulgaria has the second-highest rate of placement of children in institutions in Europe (Russia is top of the list). Bulgaria è il secondo più alto tasso di collocamento dei minori in istituti in Europa (Russia è al primo posto della lista).

In another institution I was taken around by a blonde Cruella de Vil: stiletto heels, heavily made-up, clutching a clipboard as we marched along a corridor. In un altro istituto mi è stata presa da circa una bionda Crudelia de Vil: tacchi a spillo, fortemente fatto-up, stringendo appunti come abbiamo marciato lungo un corridoio. Stopping at each window, she consulted her list, took the pen from behind her ear and pointed: “This one cerebral palsy, this one very handicapped, this one Down's Syndrome, this one don't know....” Ferma a ogni finestra, ha consultato la sua lista, ha preso la penna da dietro il suo orecchio e sottolineato: "Questa paralisi cerebrale, questo uno molto handicappati, questa sindrome di Down, questo non so ...."

I asked to go into one of the rooms and picked up the nearest child, a living skeleton. Ho chiesto di andare in una delle camere e raccolto il più vicino bambino, uno scheletro vivente. And what was wrong with him? E che cosa ha sbagliato con lui? He was blind. Egli era cieco. Just blind. Solo cieca. But now he was starving to death, rocking and banging his head against the side of his cot. Ma ora egli è stato per la morte di fame, banging a dondolo e la sua testa contro il lato della sua culla. On another visit, I asked the director, a paediatrician, about a child with Down's Syndrome. In un'altra visita, ho chiesto al regista, un pediatra, un bambino con sindrome di Down. Why was she here? Perché è lei qui? “She has Down's Syndrome, she will die.” I told her that this was not true, that these children could live fulfilled lives. "Lei ha la sindrome di Down, si muore." Mi disse che non era vero, che questi bambini possano vivere soddisfatte vita. Angered, she asked: “Are you a doctor?” No, I replied, but I was the mother of a child with Down's Syndrome. Angered, ha chiesto: "Sei un medico?" No, ho risposto, ma mi è stata la madre di un bambino con sindrome di Down. “But you are not a doctor, so you don't understand... "Ma tu non sono un medico, in modo che non capisco ... these children have no use. questi bambini non hanno l'uso. They should never have been born.” Essi non dovrebbe essere mai nato. "

I am working with a charity called The Bulgarian Abandoned Children's Trust and our aim is to re-educate government, doctors, midwives and parents to bring an end to institutionalisation and build small-group homes for the children to move into. Sto lavorando con un bulgaro carità chiamato The Abandoned Children's Trust e il nostro obiettivo è quello di rieducare governo, medici, ostetriche e ai genitori di porre fine alla istituzionalizzazione e costruire piccole case di gruppo per i bambini a muoversi in. Because, unlike Romania, which has made huge progress in the reform of its institutions and has shown that it is ready and willing to change, Bulgaria remains in denial. Perché, a differenza della Romania, che ha compiuto enormi progressi nella riforma delle sue istituzioni e ha dimostrato che non è pronto e disposto a cambiare, la Bulgaria rimane in rifiuto. The Government sees little need for change. Il governo vede poco necessità di un cambiamento. Nor has it come under the sort of pressure that Romania faced when it was in discussions to join the European Union and reform of its children's institutions was a condition of entry. Essa non ha nemmeno sotto il tipo di pressione che la Romania quando è stato affrontato nelle discussioni di adesione all'Unione europea e la riforma delle sue istituzioni per bambini è stata una delle condizioni di entrata.

One of the problems with the old Eastern bloc countries is that where the State was the guarantor of all moral values, it dehumanised society. Uno dei problemi con i vecchi paesi del blocco orientale è che quando lo Stato è il garante di tutti i valori morali, che dehumanised società. The idea of charity, of social responsibility, of caring for others, was eradicated. L'idea della carità, della responsabilità sociale, della cura per gli altri, è stata debellata. There seems to be no recognition on the part of the carers that they share something with these children - and that what they share is a common humanity. Ci sembra di non essere il riconoscimento da parte degli assistenti di condividere qualcosa con questi bambini - e che ciò che essi condividono è una comune umanità. In homes for the dying in India, you find volunteers serving food, cleaning, or simply talking to patients 24 hours a day. Nelle case per i moribondi in India, a trovare volontari che servono cibo, pulizia, o semplicemente parlare con i pazienti, 24 ore al giorno. There is a purpose and a feeling of life, and hope, in even the most impoverished homes. Vi è uno scopo e un senso della vita, e la speranza, anche nelle case più impoverite.

The sterility and eerie silence of the Eastern European children's homes is all the more shocking by contrast. La sterilità e misterioso silenzio delle orientale case dei bambini è ancora più scioccante da contrasto. These children are Europe's guilty secret, hidden away from the world. Questi bambini sono il colpevole segreto, nascosto dal mondo. We need to talk about them, to bring the whole issue out into the open. Abbiamo bisogno di parlare di loro, per portare l'intera questione in luce. We need a co-ordinated European strategy, operating at the highest levels of government. Abbiamo bisogno di una coordinata strategia europea, che operano ai più alti livelli di governo. A tightly run ten-year plan could lead to many of these shameful places closing their doors. Un ben gestito piano decennale potrebbe condurre a molti di questi luoghi vergognosa chiusura le loro porte. This will need to include social reform, services in the community, fostering being made an occupation, easier adoption laws, the building of small-group homes and, most importantly, more support at birth. Questo dovrà includere riforme sociali, i servizi della comunità, la promozione in corso un lavoro, le leggi più facile l'adozione, la costruzione di piccoli gruppi di case e, soprattutto, un maggiore sostegno alla nascita. More than 96 per cent of institutionalised children across Europe have at least one living parent. Help is needed to persuade families that they can cope. Più del 96 per cento dei bambini istituzionalizzati in tutta Europa hanno almeno un genitore vivente. Guida è necessario per convincere le famiglie che possono far fronte.

It is too late to help many of the children incarcerated in institutions - their lives are already irreparably damaged. E 'troppo tardi per aiutare molti dei bambini detenuti in istituzioni - le loro vite sono già irreparabilmente danneggiati. But we can stop the flow of children into these places. Ma siamo in grado di fermare il flusso dei bambini in questi luoghi. We need early intervention programmes in hospitals and maternity wards; we need to make people care. Abbiamo bisogno di programmi di intervento precoce in ospedali e reparti di maternità; abbiamo bisogno di persone care. If you are one of those people who hunts through the supermarket to avoid buying a battery-raised chicken, think for a moment about these children, who are treated no better. Se siete una di quelle persone che con la caccia al supermercato al fine di evitare di acquistare una batteria-sollevato pollo, pensate per un momento su questi bambini, che non sono trattati meglio.

Find out more about the campaign at www.tbact.org Per saperne di più sulla campagna a www.tbact.org

Ci scusiamo per la pessima traduzione automatica e, di seguito, rimandiamo al testo in lingua originale.

From the Times

February 13, 2009

Exposing Europe's guilty secret: the incarcerated children of Bulgaria

Rosa Monckton

It is the smell that assaults you - filthy nappies, unwashed babies, rotting flesh. Then you are hit by the silence, an eerie, unnatural silence, the silence of babies who have given up hope of ever being consoled, cuddled or comforted. It is the dreadful quiet of starving, neglected, unloved children waiting to die.

The poor child whose cot I was hiding next to had hydrocephalus. His swollen head was turned to one side, and I could see his brain oozing out of his skull. The girl in the adjacent cot was so pitifully thin that she looked flattened, like a cardboard cut-out. The next one along had his legs tied together, with an old pillow case pulled over them - I felt a huge growth on one of his spindle-like legs.

The children in this particular wing have no human contact. They are fed lying on their backs, and have their nappies changed only when there happens to be a supply of new ones. Not one single word is uttered to them, so none of them is able to talk. This is how they live, and this is how they die.

Over the past few months I have visited eight institutions in Bulgaria, and have been staggered by the total lack of humanity. The baby world does not exist for these children.

Children in Western Europe are institutionalised because of abuse and neglect, whereas in other parts of Europe, particularly the old communist countries, it is because of abandonment and disability. In Eastern Europe there is still a widely held belief that disabled children are best dealt with by being removed from their families and separated from society.

In another institution I was taken around by a blonde Cruella de Vil: stiletto heels, heavily made-up, clutching a clipboard as we marched along a corridor. Stopping at each window, she consulted her list, took the pen from behind her ear and pointed: “This one cerebral palsy, this one very handicapped, this one Down's Syndrome, this one don't know....”

I asked to go into one of the rooms and picked up the nearest child, a living skeleton. And what was wrong with him? He was blind. Just blind. But now he was starving to death, rocking and banging his head against the side of his cot. On another visit, I asked the director, a paediatrician, about a child with Down's Syndrome. Why was she here? “She has Down's Syndrome, she will die.” I told her that this was not true, that these children could live fulfilled lives. Angered, she asked: “Are you a doctor?” No, I replied, but I was the mother of a child with Down's Syndrome. “But you are not a doctor, so you don't understand... these children have no use. They should never have been born.”

I am working with a charity called The Bulgarian Abandoned Children's Trust and our aim is to re-educate government, doctors, midwives and parents to bring an end to institutionalisation and build small-group homes for the children to move into. Because, unlike Romania, which has made huge progress in the reform of its institutions and has shown that it is ready and willing to change, Bulgaria remains in denial. The Government sees little need for change. Nor has it come under the sort of pressure that Romania faced when it was in discussions to join the European Union and reform of its children's institutions was a condition of entry.

One of the problems with the old Eastern bloc countries is that where the State was the guarantor of all moral values, it dehumanised society. The idea of charity, of social responsibility, of caring for others, was eradicated. There seems to be no recognition on the part of the carers that they share something with these children - and that what they share is a common humanity. In homes for the dying in India, you find volunteers serving food, cleaning, or simply talking to patients 24 hours a day. There is a purpose and a feeling of life, and hope, in even the most impoverished homes.

The sterility and eerie silence of the Eastern European children's homes is all the more shocking by contrast. These children are Europe's guilty secret, hidden away from the world. We need to talk about them, to bring the whole issue out into the open. We need a co-ordinated European strategy, operating at the highest levels of government. A tightly run ten-year plan could lead to many of these shameful places closing their doors. This will need to include social reform, services in the community, fostering being made an occupation, easier adoption laws, the building of small-group homes and, most importantly, more support at birth. More than 96 per cent of institutionalised children across Europe have at least one living parent. Help is needed to persuade families that they can cope.

It is too late to help many of the children incarcerated in institutions - their lives are already irreparably damaged. But we can stop the flow of children into these places. We need early intervention programmes in hospitals and maternity wards; we need to make people care. If you are one of those people who hunts through the supermarket to avoid buying a battery-raised chicken, think for a moment about these children, who are treated no better.

Find out more about the campaign at www.tbact.org