Bulgaria Social Minister: We Are Taking Care of Mogilino's Children

Bulgaria Social Minister: We Are Taking Care of Mogilino's Children

25 January 2009, Sunday

30 children from the orphanage in the village of Mogilino are going to be moved out and placed in better facilities, the Bulgarian Social Minister Emilya Maslarova stated Sunday during a visit of the home.

According to Maslarova, the plan to relocate the children from Mogilino was working fine despite the slight delay. The Minister explained that the delay was due to the temporary insufficiency of financial resources, but mostly to the children's psychological state.

"The children need to be independent and prepared for the new place," Maslarova said.

39 children with delayed development have already been taken out of the home and placed elsewhere. 37 employees currently take care of those remaining in Mogilino, including a rehabilitator, a physical therapist, nurses and social workers. 6 of the employees have been sent by UNICEF.

Maslarova also said that her Ministry was continuing to insist on changes in the Family Code to alleviate adoption procedures in Bulgaria.

"If no one has looked for a certain child in the course of six months, the child must be placed for adoption," said the Social Minister, adding that she was also insisting on mandatory prenatal diagnostics for pregnant women in order to reduce the risk of babies born with disabilities.

After the Mogilino visit, Maslarova joined the Bulgarian Prime Minister Sergey Stanishev in the city of Ruse, where they inaugurated the renovated home for the elderly.

The orphanage in Mogilino became publicly known last year, when BBC broadcasted a documentary dedicated to abandoned children in Bulgaria. The author of "Bulgaria's Abandoned Children" had filmed for over nine months at the home for children with mental and physical disabilities in the village of Mogilino near the city of Ruse.

The documentary was met with widespread controversy in Bulgaria while the film was shown in the European Parliament provoking a three-hour long discussion.

It has been announced earlier this year that the home in Mogilino will be closed.

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