Bulgaria named worst place in EU to raise children
1 June 2011
Wednesday Jun 01, 201105:44 PM GMT
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Bulgaria named worst place in EU to raise children
Wed Jun 1, 2011 4:25PM
Ivaylo Spasov, Press TV, Sofia
Journalists, citizens and state authorities need to practice more direct and effective control on social institutions for child care, as horrible crimes against minors are being committed there.
That's what, on the International Children's Day, Bulgaria human rights advocates demanded, launching a new campaign for immediate and full access to all social homes that are meant to take care of about 7500 Bulgarian children.
In its recent investigations, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee has documented 238 cases of avoidable deaths - mainly of children with physical or mental disabilities.
Human rights activists have therefore threatened the General Prosecution with an international lawsuit if it doesn't act decisively on the provided pieces of evidence. These have shown that social institutions in Bulgaria maintain practices of malnourishment, violence, physical immobilization by tying up and using dangerous drugs, and even sexual abuse.
Kalin Kamenov from the governmental unit for child protection pointed out that with the adoption at the end of 2010 of a National Program for Child Protection and a National Strategy for deinstitutionalization of children, Bulgaria has made a significant progress toward real and effective child care.
But is that enough? Press TV asked some parents about the biggest challenges they encounter when raising their children.
This younger woman tells us that financial difficulties are even bigger when you have more than one child. Her husband has immigrated to earn money and has not seen his second baby in a long time.
According to a new study called “Family Pressure Gauge”, released by the British Relationships Foundation, families in Bulgaria and Romania are facing the biggest financial and work pressures, combined with poor maternity provision and bad living environments. These, according to experts, make the two countries the worst places in Europe to raise children. Bulgaria, particularly, has the biggest share of families facing difficulties in making ends meet, as high as 63.4% of total population, the report reveals.
Poverty, crime, domestic violence, drugs, disabilities that are not treated properly, school drop-outs, labor abuse, negligence and overall social exclusion. These are, according to experts, the main risk factors that pose certain threats to children in Bulgaria.