Saturday, December 12, 2020

"Child 'Auschwitz' in Pleven: In the 'Mother and Child' home — the stench of urine and 16-year-olds weighing 16 kilos", news article in Posrednik News, from April 6, 2012

Source:

"Детски „Освиенцим” в Плевен: В дом Майка и дете - воня на урина и 16-годишни по 16 кг", article by Veselina Kirilova, dated 6 April 2012, Посредник (Posrednik)



Above: A series of irregularities were found behind the doors of the Medical and Social Care Home.


Above: Employees of the Home show Minister Atanasova the schedule for the weekly menu.


Above: At first glance, everything is normal in the kitchen.

(photos courtesy of Radoslav Hristov)

The article:

Детски „Освиенцим” в Плевен: В дом Майка и дете - воня на урина и 16-годишни по 16 кг
Написано от Веселина Кирилова
Петък, 06 Април 2012

В Дома за медико-социални грижи в Плевен, популярен като „Дом майка и дете” 16-годишни деца тежат 16 кг. Това стана ясно от внезапната проверка в петък на министъра на здравеопазването Десислава Атанасова, назначена от самата нея, по сигнали на неправителствени организации. Здравният министър беше в града по хубав повод - дипломирането на 72 абсолвенти от Факултета по “Обществено здраве” към Медицински университет - Плевен. По средата на церемонията започна да се носи слух, че след събитието ще се прави някаква проверка, но каква точно и къде, никой не можеше да каже. Всички се втурнахме след министърката, а дестинацията стана ясна в движение. Разбрахме още, че дори в Регионалната здравна инспекция - Плевен, в лицето на директора й - Атанас Гарев, не са знаели за тази проверка. Когато пристигнахме огледът на здравния министър и зам.- министър Десислава Димитрова вече беше започнал. Над 2 часа чакахме отговори. Накрая делегацията се появи, а Десислава Атанасова с ясен жест, без думи изрази заключенията си, а именно, че ситуацията там е под всякакво ниво. Г-жа Атанасова заяви, че с нейна заповед е била назначена друга проверка, която вече е приключила, но резултатите от нея още не са окончателни.

Персоналът в заведението наброява 174 души, а децата са 152, което според здравния министър предполага много по-адекватна грижа. „В отделенията на дома видях деца, които са на 16 години, а тежат 16 кг, това е нечовешко”, заяви г-жа Атанасова. Тя продължи с това, че се е сблъскала с още по-ужасни неща, като това, че 10 годишни деца тежат 5-6 кг.

Според думите на здравния министър персоналът на заведението е знаел за проверката, тъй като чаршафите са били чисти и децата са носели памперси. Защото след като делегатите са слезли в пералното помещение са установили, че там има чаршафи, които са мръсни от урината на децата. А това говори, че персоналът не поставя памперси, въпреки твърденията, че го правят, обясни г-жа Атанасова. Освен това стана ясно, че в складовете се намирало дарение, което счетоводителят на заведението не е знаел от кого е и какво точно е то.

Здравният министър каза, че до 1 седмица ще има окончателен доклад и ще предприеме незабавни мерки, а междувременно е обявен конкурс за директор на дома, тъй като предходният такъв е уволнен миналата година. Мерките ще бъдат дисциплинарни, особено за хората, които носят материална отговорност, заяви министър Атанасова.

Повечето от децата, които са в Дома, са с увреждания, но има и такива, които са здрави. В момента те са били с чисти дрехи и чаршафи, но цялата сграда мирише на урина, каза още Десислава Атанасова. Персоналът твърдял, че стъклените шишета, които здравния министър е видяла, са само за вода, но според нея това не е вярно. От предварителният доклад на проверката става ясно, че децата се хранят максимум по 5 минути. Трите хранения се смесват в шишето, което е с биберон и така се поднасят на децата, без значение на колко години са те. Здравният министър е установил, че деца, които са на 3 години не могат да ползват самостоятелно до тоалетна, не могат да ходят и да говорят.

Как е изтекла информацията не става ясно. Не става ясно и защо 16-годишни деца се намират в Дома, който, както е добре известно, е със статут за деца до 3-годишна възраст. Проверката по случая продължава.

Затъмнението ни се изясни

Екипът на „Посредник” някак не е изненадан от разкритията, направени от здравния министър в Дома за медико-социални грижи. Защо ли?

Защото преди повече от месец - на 22 февруари, ви разказахме за опитите на екип на „Последник” да влезе в Дома („Пълно затъмнение над Дом „Майка и дете”, бр./ 2012). Не просто от любопитство, а за да научим на място какво се случва там. Причината - през септември миналата година дългогодишната директорка на Дома Иржина Костова беше дисциплинарно уволнена след проверка на Държавната агенция за закрила на детето. Проверяващите тогава са констатирали редица нарушения - неглижиране, неадекватни грижи за децата с увреждания, непредприемане на навременни действия за прециризиране на диагнозите им, което увеличава риска за здравето и живота на децата.

Ето заради тези констатации и дисциплинарното уволнение на Костова поискахме среща с вр.и.д. директора Анелия Цанкова. През февруари. За да установим, че не можем да влезем в Дома и не г-жа Цанкова категорично не желае да разговаря с екипа ни. Разговорът с Цанкова и посещение на екип на „Посредник” в Дом „Майка и дете” не бяха осъществени и след публикацията - в сградата стигахме само до... охраната, а при опитите за телефонна връзка с вр.и.д. директорката чувахме многократно едно и също: „Няма да ви кажа нищо.”

Е, сега вече сме наясно за мотивите на ръководството на Дом „Майка и дете” информацията за това как се отглеждат децата там да е строго пазена тайна.

English translation:

Child "Auschwitz" in Pleven: In the "Mother and Child" home — the stench of urine and 16-year-olds weighing 16 kilos
Written by Veselina Kirilova
Friday, April 6, 2012

At the Medical and Social Care Home in Pleven, popularly known as the "Mother and Child" Home, 16-year-old children weigh 16 kilos. This became clear from the sudden inspection on Friday of the Minister of Health Desislava Atanasova, appointed by her, on signals from non-governmental organizations. The Minister of Health was in the city on a good occasion — the graduation of 72 graduates from the Faculty of Public Health at the Medical University of Pleven. In the middle of the ceremony, there was a rumour that some kind of inspection would be carried out after the event, but no one could say exactly what and where. We all rushed after the minister, and the destination became clear on the move. We also learned that even the Regional Health Inspectorate of Pleven, in the person of its director, Atanas Garev, did not know about this inspection. When we arrived, the inspection of the Minister of Health and Deputy, Minister Desislava Dimitrova, had already begun. We waited for answers for over 2 hours. Finally, the delegation appeared, and Desislava Atanasova, with a clear gesture, without words, expressed her conclusions, namely that the situation there is below any level. Ms. Atanasova said that another inspection had been ordered by her, which had already been completed, but the results were not yet final.

The staff of the institution numbers 174 people and the children 152, which, according to the Minister of Health, implies much more adequate care. "In the wards of the home I saw children who are 16 years old and weigh 16 kilos, this is inhuman," said Ms. Atanasova. She went on to say that she had encountered even more terrible things, such as the fact that 10-year-old children weighed 5-6 kilos.

According to the Minister of Health, the staff of the institution knew about the inspection because the bedsheets were clean and the children were wearing diapers. Because after the delegates went down to the laundry room, they found that there were sheets that were dirty from the children's urine. And this means that the staff does not put diapers on [the children], despite the allegations that they do, explained Ms. Atanasova. In addition, it became clear that there was a donation in the warehouses, which the accountant of the establishment did not know who it was from and what exactly it was.

The health minister said she would have a final report and take immediate action within a week, and in the meantime a competition has been announced for the director of the home, as the previous one was fired last year. The measures will be disciplinary, especially for the people who bear material responsibility, said Minister Atanasova.

Most of the children who are in the Home are disabled, but there are also those who are healthy. At the moment they were in clean clothes and bedsheets, but the whole building smells of urine, said Desislava Atanasova. The staff claimed that the glass bottles that the Minister of Health saw were only for water, but according to her this was not true. From the preliminary report of the inspection it is clear that the children are fed for a maximum of 5 minutes. The three meals are mixed in the bottle, which is with a pacifier and served to children in that way, no matter how old they are. The Minister of Health has established that children who are 3 years old cannot use the toilet on their own, cannot walk and talk.

It is not clear how the information leaked. It is also not clear why 16-year-olds are in the Home, which is well known to have the status of having children up to 3 years old. The investigation into the case continues.

Our eclipse cleared

The team from "Posrednik" is somehow not surprised by the revelations made by the Minister of Health at the Medical and Social Care Home. Why?

Because more than a month ago — on February 22, we told you about the attempts of a team from "Posrednik" to enter the Home ("Complete eclipse over the Home 'Mother and Child'", issue / 2012). Not just out of curiosity, but to learn on the spot what's going on there. The reason — in September last year, the longtime director of the Home, Irzhina Kostova, was disciplinarily fired after an inspection by the State Agency for Child Protection. The inspectors then found a number of violations — neglect, inadequate care for children with disabilities, failure to take timely action to clarify their diagnoses, which increases the risk to children's health and lives.

It is because of these findings and the disciplinary dismissal of Kostova that we requested a meeting with the acting Director Anelia Tsankova. In February. To find out that we can't enter the Home and Ms. Tsankova definitely doesn't want to talk to our team. The conversation with Tsankova and a visit of a team from "Posrednik" in the "Mother and Child" Home were not carried out after the publication — in the building we only reached... the security, and in the attempts for telephone communication with the acting Director, we have heard the same thing many times: "I will not tell you anything."

Well, now we are aware of the motives of the management of the "Mother and Child" Home, the information about how the children are raised there is a strictly kept secret.

"The girl out of the cage — The nightmare of KEPEP Lechaina is over", news article in Patris News, from January 23, 2019

Source:

Το κορίτσι έξω από το κλουβί — Τελειώνει ο εφιάλτης του ΚΕΠΕΠ Λεχαινών, article in Patris News, dated 23 January 2019




(The unnamed 18 year old girl exploring her new room. Photos courtesy of Ethnos newspaper)

The article:

Το κορίτσι έξω από το κλουβί — Τελειώνει ο εφιάλτης του ΚΕΠΕΠ Λεχαινών
23 Ιανουαρίου 2019

Αίσιο τέλος είχε η ιστορία του 18 χρονου τυφλού κοριτσιού που από τα επτά του χρόνια, ζούσε σε κλουβί στο Κέντρο Περίθαλψης Παιδιών με αναπηρία στα Λεχαινά Ηλείας, και η οποία είχε προκαλέσει τις έντονες αντιδράσεις της κοινής γνώμης του περασμένου Νοεμβρίου. Εδώ και λίγες μέρες η 18 χρονη σήμερα κοπέλα ζει σε ένα δωμάτιο που κατασκευάστηκε ειδικά για εκείνη, με παράθυρο και τοίχους καλυμμένους με μαλακό υλικό ώστε να μην κάνει κακό στον εαυτό της.

Όπως επισημαίνεται σε δημοσίευμα της εφημερίδας «Έθνος», η ίδια δείχνει πιο ήρεμη, ενώ πού και πού ξεστομίζει κάποιες λέξεις. Το ίδιο συµβαίνει πλέον και µε τους άλλους 5 πρώην έγκλειστους σε κλουβιά, που ζούσαν υπό συνθήκες βασανισµού στο ΚΕΠΕΠ Λεχαινών, το κολαστήριο των εγκαταλειµµένων.

Με τη µεταφορά τους σε δωµάτια µειώθηκαν οι αυτοτραυµατισµοί και οι άνθρωποι δείχνουν πιο ήρεµοι. Μετά τη δημοσιοποίηση της υπόθεσης τον περασμένο Νοέμβριο, το κράτος κινητοποιήθηκε µε ταχύτητα, ενώ ταυτόχρονα η οµάδα παρέµβασης του Ινστιτούτου Υγείας του Παιδιού (που µε χρηµατοδότηση της ΜΚΟ Lumos έχει ιδρύσει η Βρετανίδα συγγραφέας του Χάρι Πότερ Τζ.Κ. Ρόουλινγκ), η οποία είχε αναλάβει το δύσκολο έργο να βγάλει από τα κλουβιά τους τελευταίους έγκλειστους (τους είχαν εκεί για να µην αυτοτραυµατιστούν), κατόρθωσε να αποκαθηλώσει όλους τους ασθενείς.

Επιπλέον, µέσα στο ΚΕΠΕΠ Λεχαινών δηµιουργήθηκαν σε σύντοµο χρονικό διάστηµα τρία ειδικά δωµάτια (soft rooms) για τη φιλοξενία τέτοιων περιπτώσεων, ώστε κανείς να µην κλείνεται πια σε κλουβί. Στις 10 Δεκεµβρίου δηµοσιεύτηκε ΦΕΚ µε κοινή απόφαση των υπουργών Έφης Αχτσιόγλου και Μαριλίζας Ξενογιαννακοπούλου για την πρόσληψη 15 ατόµων διαφόρων ειδικοτήτων στο ΚΕΠΕΠ Λεχαινών, οι οποίοι θα συνεχίσουν το έργο της οµάδας παρέµβασης, και 8 ακόµα για το Κέντρο Κοινωνικής Πρόνοιας Αττικής.

Επίσης, µε υπογραφές των αναπληρωτών υπουργών Θεανώς Φωτίου και Γιώργου Χουλιαράκη, δηµοσιεύτηκε στις 12 ∆εκεµβρίου και η απόφαση για την έναρξη της αποϊδρυµατοποίησης, οι προϋποθέσεις ίδρυσης και λειτουργίας «Στεγών Υποστηριζόµενης ∆ιαβίωσης Ατόµων µε Αναπηρίες», τις οποίες θα µπορούν να δηµιουργούν φυσικά ή νοµικά πρόσωπα δηµοσίου ή ιδιωτικού δικαίου.

Σύμφωνα πάντα με το δημοσίευμα, όταν δηµιουργηθούν οι Στέγες, θα βρουν καταφύγιο έξω από τα σηµερινά άσυλα άτοµα µε αναπηρία που διαθέτουν υψηλό, µέσο ή χαµηλό βαθµό αυτονοµίας, ηλικίας άνω των 18 ετών. Δυστυχώς για τα ανήλικα παιδιά µε αναπηρία δεν έχει ακόµα προβλεφθεί ανάλογη δοµή, µε αποτέλεσµα οι άνθρωποι που ασχολούνται µε το ζήτηµα να εκφράζουν επιφυλάξεις. (αποκλειστικές φωτογραφίες από το Εθνος)

English translation (bad, I don't know Greek):

The girl out of the cage — The nightmare of KEPEP Lechaina is over
January 23, 2019

The story of the 18-year-old blind girl who, from the age of seven, lived in a cage at the Center for the Care of Children with Disabilities in Lechaina, Ilia, had a happy ending, and which had provoked strong reactions from the public last November. For a few days now, the 18-year-old girl has been living in a room built specially for her, with a window and walls covered with soft material so that she does not hurt herself.

As it is pointed out in an article in the newspaper "Ethnos", she seems calmer, while here and there she utters a few words. The same now happens with the other 5 former inmates in cages, who lived under conditions of torture in the KEPEP Lechaina, the hell of the abandoned.

With their transfer to rooms, the people's self-injurious behaviours have been reduced and they seem calmer. Following the publication of the case last November, the state mobilized rapidly, while at the same time the intervention institute of the Institute of Child Health (founded with the funding of the NGO Lumos, which was founded by the British author of Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling, undertook the difficult task of getting the last inmates out of the cages (they had been put there so that they would not injure themselves), they managed to release all the patients from their suffering.

In addition, three special rooms (soft rooms) were created in a short period of time in the KEPEP Lechaina to accommodate such cases, so that no one would be locked in a cage anymore. On December 10, the Government Gazette was published by a joint decision of Ministers Efi Ahtsioglou and Mariliza Xenogiannakopoulou for the recruitment of 15 people of various specialties in the KEPEP Lechaina, who will continue the work of the intervention group, and 8 Communal Centers.

Also, with the signatures of the Deputy Ministers Theanos Fotiou and Giorgos Chouliarakis, the decision for the start of the deinstitutionalisation was published on December 12, the conditions for the establishment and operation of "Shelters of Supported Living for Persons with Disabilities", which can be governed by public or private law.

According to the publication, when the Shelters are created, they will find shelter outside the current asylum people with disabilities who have a high, medium or low degree of autonomy, over the age of 18. Unfortunately, for children with disabilities, a similar structure has not yet been provided, with the result that people involved in the issue have reservations. (exclusive photos from Ethnos)

"Bulgaria: Orphans Suffer Dire Neglect", article in Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty News, November 9, 1997

Source: Bulgaria: Orphans Suffer Dire Neglect , article written by Anthony Georgieff for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty News, 9 November, 1...