BBC: Director of Mogilino home on leave

What do we do after the BBC film on Mogilino?

Daniela GORCHEVA, Dialog magazine

The BBC 4 film “Bulgaria’s abandoned children” provoked tremendous controversy even before being broadcast on Bulgarian TV.

Our first objective now is to prevent the threat of moving the children from the Mogilino home to other institutions.

The mothers from the bg-mamma.com forum organised a protest for 9 October before the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. They will hand in their petition with specific demands to the MLSP and Minister Emilia Maslarova. One of their demands is that the home is not closed down hurriedly after the official investigation last week and that the 46 children and 29 residents over 18 are not transferred to other homes as the practice has been until now.

If the Mogilino children are transferred to other institutions in small villages will deprive them of the opportunity for integration and access to education. Such isolated locations do no have qualified personnel, supervision.

Every child from Mogilino should be thoroughly diagnosed by a team of medical professionals, special pedagogues, and be able to receive community services in Ruse.

Those children who can be integrated right away in schools in Ruse should be enrolled in them and be assigned resource teachers. Those that need physical rehabilitation should receive it in day care centres in Ruse. The children in the most severe state of health should be taken care of by a team of specialists that have to be appointed speedily.

NGOs experienced in this field should be allowed to take part in all these activities.

The long-term plan (for the next three years) should aim to accommodate ALL children in sheltered houses in Ruse (6-7 children with 5 people staff), and to use all existing and developing community services.

The mothers insist that the results from the official investigation in the Mogilino home are made public.

Meanwhile, the BBC announced, that the director of the institution and her deputy are on unlimited leave. The Bulgarian government has allowed a group, lead by the film director, Kate Blewett, to move the children from Mogilino into a new building in Ruse. She and a team of volunteers will monitor how the children are coping and hope to improve the care while the children are moved.

It would be good if the Bulgarian media provoke a public discussion, not a sensational-scandalous coverage, of the Mogilino institution.

For all those wishing to help, the BHC has opened a bank account. All proceeds will be given to the Mogilino home.

Bulgarian Helsinki Committee (donation for Mogilino children)
BG35 UNCR 7630 1405 0868 05,
UniCredit Bulbank,
Sofia 1000,
7 Sveta Nedelya Sq.,
BIC: UNCRBGSF

Source: Mediapool

Emphasis in the text was added by the BHC