The Abandoned Children of Bulgaria (part 5 of 5)

A childrens home in Bulgaria that is a dumping ground for the unwanted.
Director Kate Blewett visits a children's care home in Bulgaria and investigates the conditions in which the children live.

Following the completion of the film, the production team offered the Bulgarian Embassy in London the opportunity to comment on the findings made in the course of filming the documentary:
The Social Care Home - where 75 unwanted children are growing up - is the main employer in the small village of Mogilino. Few of the children can talk, not necessarily because they are unable but rather because no one has ever taught them how.

Kate meets the children in this tragic, silent world, such as Milan, the gentle giant who spends his days doing chores and watching over the others, and mildly autistic 18-year-old Didi, who is able to talk, and has plenty to say, but no one to speak to. The children that surround them suffer a variety of problems, many are blind or deaf and some are unable to leave their beds, many are literally wasting away.

Abandoned into the hands of the staff at Mogilino these children inhabit a bleak uncaring world, so devoid of normal everyday stimulus that many have taken to rocking slowly and constantly in their chairs just for something to do.

Bulgaria has more institutionalised mentally and physically disabled children than anywhere else in Europe. This film is a heart-rending and eye-opening look into the life of one such institution.

Update: Friday 16 November 2007

Some changes have taken place since the first showing of this film on BBC Four in September 2007. A team of Non Government Organisations (NGOs) is working with the government to bring about changes to the lives of disabled children growing up in the state institutes in Bulgaria. This NGO alliance is made up of teams who have been working on the ground in Bulgaria for years.

The children in the home in Mogilino have recently been assessed by a medical team, and rehabilitation plans are being put together for each child. Specialists like speech therapists and physiotherapists are being assigned to Mogilino to work with the children. In the long term the plan is to either build purpose-built small group care homes for the disabled - or to relocate the children to better environments with Day Care Centres and potential schooling.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• bulgaria
• nederlandstalig
• child
• abuse
• torture
• human
• rights

[sweetypie000]

The director should have been put up against a wall and shot after having been tortured and made to endure what those kids were made to live through

EVERY Bulgarian should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves

This is a concentration camp. It is now closed but I for one will NEVER forget this disgusting abuse of children. IT STILL GOES ON

This country is a disgrace to humanity

The male 'care' worker that beat the kids should be found and executed

i'd beat the shit out of him i swear to god

[jayneb100]

shut up!!!!!! your the pathetic one!

[matthew9158]

i am cooming matthew bozhidar lisowski

[sweetypie000]

Our health system will no doubt be looking after them soon when they arrive in droves like the Poles and other eastern european leeched

[CampLucifer]

@sweetypie000 not just this Country



[chumbucket2011]

yes, the boy @3:53 is the worse. It makes you wonder how many times in his life has he had that happened to him. I hug all my boys at least a dozen times a day. I am glad this place is closed. I hope they did get good homes. I seen the follow up documentry and you can see a 100% change in them. I was sad it didn't show Stoyan or that little boy.

[XxnlgirlxX]

I'm really crying because of the boy at 4:18

[Kenkasan]

if you compare the dancing with for example the lively dancing of a african tribe....these are zombies

[DestinationNOLIMIT]

Yeah well their standards are bullshit

[MSJJNISSI]

LOOKING AT THIS MAKES ME WANT TO JUST THROW UP. HOW CAN A COUNTRY LIKE ROMANIA HAVE CHILDREN IN THIS TYPE OF CONDITION THESE CHILDREN DID NOT COME THIS WAY. WHY ON EARTH DO THEY HAVE TO END UP THIS WAY IN THE COUNTRY OF ROMANIA IF I WAS FILTHY RICH AND SEEN THIS AND I LIVE IN ROMANIA I WOULD BE A SHAME TO WALK ON THE GROUND OUT THERE. IT HURTS ME TO SEE INNOCENT CHILDREN BEING TREATED THIS WAY.TO ME IT LOOKS JUST LIKE A HOLOCAUST BUT INNOCENT CHILDREN INSTEAD.YOU ARE MESSING WITH GODS CHILDREN

[KikisChica]

@untilted As a mother myself, I broke down in tears when I saw this. I can't believe that those fat pigs that are the carers and director just neglect and ignore these children who are so helpless and deteriorating before their eyes. Something so simple as affection, a hug, a cradle.

[bownlovingfreak]

I'll pay any f-ing taxes to protect ill, disabled children. god bless those who work with them