A Romanian woman testifies to the Council of Europe about the trauma experienced in communist orphanages
A Romanian woman testifies to the Council of Europe about the trauma experienced in communist orphanages/ Independent investigations are requested in all EU states regarding the violation of children's rights/ "We were naked, there was no heating, we only received a little food and we were left in the dark"
Sirmanca Fekete, a survivor of the Cighid home for disabled and mentally ill minors, testified today at the Council of Europe in support of a motion submitted by the Justice Initiative, the association announces in a press release.
This is a pan-European initiative that brings together 19 countries and aims to stop, recognize and prevent child abuse in Europe.
The Justice Initiative was initiated by the Swiss Guido Flori to investigate and find solutions for those affected by this phenomenon present throughout the continent.
The Council of Europe and the member states are asked to ensure an independent investigation of the violation of the rights of the child in each European country and the official recognition of the trauma of children who have suffered any kind of sexual, physical or psychological violence. The motion also calls for victims to receive some form of compensation, and for existing laws in member states to be geared towards protecting all children from abuse and maltreatment.
The Council of Europe has selected two countries for a hearing that will decide whether the motion goes forward to the European Parliament: Romania and Germany. During the hearing, victims from the two countries had the opportunity to testify before the assembled commission and draw attention to the urgency of their situation.
"In 1988, when I was 3 years old, I was placed in a home for handicapped and mentally ill minors. Even though I wasn't handicapped at all, I was just a little thinner than kids my age. But the Ceau?escu regime wanted a society full of strong and healthy children. Those who looked weak were not considered useful and were therefore sent to institutions.” stated Sirmanca Fekete, in his testimony. "This institution called Cighid, with about 100 children, was actually a death camp. No one was holding us or playing with us, we were rocking back and forth by ourselves. The nurses did not give us clothes, we were naked, there was no heating, we were given only a little food and we were left in the dark. The worst memory I have is that we children we cried constantly because the nurses left us naked in beds full of our urine and feces. Many of us were also beaten and raped. This happened 33 years ago, but to this day I have nightmares and am very afraid of the dark. Then my daughter wakes me up and tells me that I'm shouting 'don't beat me'", reported Sirmanca Fekete.
In Romania, the state did not take any steps to investigate the phenomenon of child abuse in protective institutions. There are no official country-level statistics before 1989, but not since the present, says the Justice Initiative.
Victims of abuse in the child protection system who managed to survive talk about the horrors experienced in the orphanages during the communist era, but the Romanian state has never publicly acknowledged this dramatic episode of our recent history.
The Justice Initiative was launched by victims' groups, academics and NGOs from across Europe as a joint political initiative that looks to the past, but above all aims to have an effect on the future. In Romania, Gabriela Lupea, project manager at the Phoneo Association, along with partners from civil society, joined the initiative.