More than 50,000 children are in the special protection system. Why didn't Romania manage to solve the problem of adoptions?

Between 1994-2001, 26,293 children were adopted, of which 15,112 (57.5%) were adopted internationally

In 2015, Romania still had 4,060 adoptable children

In 2018, Romania had 50,608 children in the special protection system, of which only 3,123 children were adoptable

Marion Le Roy Dagen is 45 years old and has been living in France since she was six, when she was adopted. Since the early 1990s, he has come to Romania several times to help the country's orphans. And since 2014 he has been trying to help those adopted by families abroad.

She co-founded, together with two other women, the Romanian Orphans Association. I receive hundreds of requests, from all over the world, to help adopted children in Romania to find their families of origin. The chances are extremely small.

"Today, when I am already 30-40 years old, many have disappeared. I think that there will be a lot of work and I think that this will be done in Romania, that there will be investigations at the level of all Romanian and French agencies. Because France also has its responsibility to carry out a judicial investigation, it is urgent " , said Marion Le Roy Gendre.

Between 1994 and 2004, Romania was in the middle, between the strong international lobbies and the accession to the European Union. He was asked for children, but he was also asked to solve the problem of international adoptions. The social workers made false reports about the families, which they claimed they could not find. An entire network operated with false abandonment documents.

"There were huge sums that circulated. Investigations estimate that adoptions between 1990 and 2000 brought in nearly $ 1 billion. I am in contact with an adoptee in the 2000s. For his adoption, his adoptive parents paid $ 250,000. Do you think it's normal? A child is not a commodity " , says Marion.

The entire international adoption system in Romania was built to leave as few traces as possible. Victims, children and parents are more likely to find out the truth about their adoption on social media or through associations than officially.

"Now we have to listen to the adopted children, not to speak in their place and I have more and more biological mothers who tell me: I am looking for my child, they stole it from me, without my consent. I would like to give the word to these mothers, to the boological families " , said Marion.

International and domestic adoptions, a painful topic for Romania

International and domestic adoptions are a painful issue for Romania. Tens of thousands of abandoned children are still placed in the special protection system. For 55 years, since Ceausescu's time, Romania has not been able to change things.

Why did Romania fail to solve the problem of abandoned children?

Romania has not solved this problem for 30 years, because the politician did not want to solve it. International and domestic adoptions continue to be made through forged documents. It is a problem of legislation, which is very difficult in Romania. That is why we have over 50,000 abandoned children. The story began in 1966, in Ceausescu's time, when he banned abortions in Romania.

In 1989 Romania had over 170,000 abandoned children. It was those images that made the rounds of the world with children in swings, orphanages and homes. Romania is beginning to outline legislation on adoptions, adheres to the Hague Convention, imposes moratoriums and attracts the international attention of the US Congress and Brussels.

In the 2000s, it was a general madness, and the subject of selling children became the subject of an election campaign for the presidency. The President of Romania, Emil Constantinescu was accused of selling children, as was Adrian N?stase. Brussels intervenes and practically imposes a ban on the export of children for Romania to join the EU. What is certain is that since 2004 Romania has stopped international adoptions, and everything relaxes at the end of the former president's term.

What is the situation of adoptions now in Romania?

The situation is just as bad, because both domestic and international adoptions are very difficult. There are over 50,000 children in the special protection system, and only over 3,000 are declared adoptable. A report by Parliament at the end of last year shows that DGASPCs, which should protect abandoned children, are completely deprofessionalised due to political interference, and are sources of child abuse, trafficking and the disappearance of children.

Timeline of adoptions in Romania

1966 - Nicolae Ceausescu promulgates the decree banning abortions in Romania.

1989 - Romania has over 170,000 abandoned children in over 700 institutions, swings, orphanages and homes.

1991 - Romania adopts a first and controversial law on adoptions and imposes a one-year moratorium on adoptions.

1993 - Romania accedes to the European Convention on the Adoption of Children. A new adoption law is adopted, which redefines child abandonment.

1993 - Romania is accused in Brussels of "crimes against humanity" and the US Congress postpones the granting of the Most Favored Nation Clause to Romania.

1994 - Romania ratifies the Hague Convention on Child Protection and Cooperation in International Adoption.

1998 - Romania adopts a new adoption law.

2000 - Prime Minister Radu Vasile denies that President Emil Constantinescu is involved in illegal adoptions of children.

2001 - Baroness Emma Nicholson presents a harsh report on the situation of institutionalized children in Romania, which complicates Romania's accession negotiations to the EU.

2001 - The government of Adrian N?stase asks the Parliament to adopt a moratorium on international adoptions for one year. Adoptions are suspended in October.

2004 - The "Children of Berlusconi" scandal begins in January. PD requests the publication of all data on adoptions in the Official Gazette.

2004 - The European Commission warns Romania to end the export of children for adoption, otherwise it risks blocking EU membership and suspending aid funds. The Adoption Law is amended in June. International adoptions are prohibited.

2004 - Adrian N?stase and French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin set up an international commission, including EU experts, to evaluate special cases of external adoption.

2012 - Romania amends the Adoption Law and resumes international adoptions.

2016 - The policy regarding the resumption of international adoptions is continued by the Dacian Ciolo? Government.

2019 - Romania adopts the law on the closure of childcare centers.

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