No family, no alternative
published in issue 4592 page 4 at 2010-01-07
At the end of last year, the Boc Cabinet flatly rejected a proposal by the Romanian Office for Adoptions (ORA) for a more relaxed legislation on international adoptions, without giving a reason for its decision. The PM only contented himself with saying the government had not approached the issue and the current legislation is in line with international norms.
Other decision-makers in the social protection area declared themselves ‘shocked’ at ORA’s proposal, which they say leaves the impression Romania is unable to give protection to its abandoned children, and therefore has to resort to international adoptions, yet again. This is the truth unfortunately, and the indignation of those paid to make sure child rights are observed in Romania is tantamount to hypocrisy, as far as orphans are offered no alternative to the basic right to have a family, a chance to a normal life.
Statistics of the past 20 years show the majority of abandoned children doesn’t find a family, living their life in ‘the system’, transferred from the behemoth orphanages of the Ceausescu era to family-type houses or, in slightly more fortunate cases, to the care of maternal assistants.