"Mental health travesty in Bulgaria", article in BBC News, dated December 16, 2002

Source:

Mental health travesty in Bulgaria, article by Karen Allen (BBC Health Correspondent) in BBC News, dated 16 December 2002

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2579865.stm

Above: Patients have to cope with the intense cold.

Above: Conditions are squalid.

The article:

Mental health travesty in Bulgaria

By Karen Allen

BBC Health Correspondent

As Bulgaria looks set to join the European Union by 2007, it is under pressure to reform mental health care — in particular its notorious social care homes.

These are not psychiatric hospitals but institutions for people with mental disabilities.

People who in many other parts of Europe would be cared for in the community.

They are very much a hangover from Soviet times, more akin to Russian labour camps then [sic] sanctuaries of care.

In many instances there is barely any heating although there are sub-zero temperatures outside and the glass from the windows is missing.

There is minimal medical attention (in many homes there is no doctor on site) and nutritious food is in limited supply.

It is perhaps not surprising when those running the homes have a budget of around £30 per person per month.

Widespread ignorance

What makes it all the more worrying is that many people in Bulgaria aren't aware these places exist — so the political pressure to close them down comes largely from independent monitoring groups which have so far only had limited success.

According to the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee — an internationally respected human rights group — Bulgaria has some 100 social care homes — responsible for around eight thousand vulnerable adults and children.

These people have been abandoned by their families — often since childhood — a throwback to the Communist past when the cultural norm was to hide these people away in institutions far away from view.

Many countries are guilty of doing the same to a lesser degree but the difference with Bulgaria is the neglectful state of these human warehouses.

Guardianship of the residents rests with the directors of the homes and once a mentally ill person has been admitted, there is little chance they will get out.

There is also little incentive to close the homes down when in many cases they're the main employer in the district.

Mountain unit

I visited one in Western Bulgaria — Pastra situated high up in the mountains not far from the Rila Monestary [sic], one of the most religious spots in Bulgaria.

But there is nothing spiritual about Pastra. Here men with mental disabilities ranging from severe schizophrenia to what we in the UK would call "learning disabilities"; pace aimlessly around in the snow.

Some have no shoes and socks although it's minus ten degrees outside.

One in ten residents did not survive the past year — and there is no reason to expect it to be any different this year.

All this in 21st century Bulgaria. A country rich in history, religion and culture soon to become a fully fledged member of the European Union.

A country which has met the Copenhagen Criteria which states that "membership requires that the candidate country has achieved stability of institutions guaranteeing democracy, the rule of law, human rights and respect for, and protection of minorities", and a country that has been slow to right the wrongs of the past.

Bulgaria is struggling economically so money is tight.

Reforms in mental health care are in the pipeline — but the focus is largely on practices in psychiatric hospitals (themselves appaulling [sic]) — and to date social care homes seems [sic] to have been excluded from any proposals.

International standing

Even so, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy is sensitive to its international reputation and has told the BBC that its investment is going into modernising these homes.

It trumpets the fact that it has put more money into modernising it's [sic] social institutions and has closed the notorious Sanadinovo children's home.

But when a ministry tells you that at Pastra the heating problems were solved two years ago — and our visit proved that this was clearly no[t] so — one has to be sceptical about how much things have changed.

Human Rights Campaigner Krassimir Kanev sums up the situation.

"Bulgaria strives to reach the European level of economic and social welfare and on the other hand it has 18th century asylums."

Of course, Bulgaria is not alone in continuing the practices of the past.

Romania and Hungary have also had attracted criticism for the atrocious state of their mental health instututions [sic].

But pressure must be brought to bear by the international community.

The fact that a recent report by Amnesty International on the state of Bulgaria's care homes, received barely any press or media coverage — is an indictment of a modern society that has forgotten that it was only 13 years ago, when similar scenes of neglect in Ceaucescu's Romania, caused a global outcry.

"To be raised in a family is an undeniable right for every child: Challenges of Children in Residential Centers", article from UNICEF Albania from November 6, 2019

Source:

"To be raised in a family is an undeniable right for every child: Challenges of Children in Residential Centers", article written by Klodiana Kapo for UNICEF Albania, 6 November 2019

https://www.unicef.org/albania/stories/be-raised-family-undeniable-right-every-child

The article:

There is silence in the room. Only Miri can be heard, seeking for his mother. No one answers. A woman with a white apron comes to his side, but she is not the mother, she is the caregiver of the orphanage who takes care of Andi and Miri. In only six months, their lives have completely changed. The two brothers lived on the outskirts of a coastal town in Albania. Life seemed normal, until one day, Flutura, the mother, had left the apartment with her daughter because her husband repeatedly abused her. But now, he is in prison. The only person who can take care of the boys is Agimi, the grandfather.

He is old, with no financial means, and after two months of trying hard to take care of the two little boys, he has given up. He asked the municipality for support, stating that he is unable to care for his grandchildren and asked that the children be placed under the care of the state authorities. Immediately, the municipal employee opened a file, assessed the conditions and registered the case. It was immediately decided that both children be accommodated in a residential care institution.

He returned home, and his heart was pounding out of his chest as he thought about his grandchildren who would no longer be in his home. He knew that, despite the dedication of the caregivers, they cannot replace the warmth of the family that the boys need so much. Since then, it has been a long time in the center, and it's not known what their future will be like. Flutura, the mother, can't take the kids with her, she can't go back home and has no stable income to care for her three children.

Challenges of Children in Residential Centers

Children who are part of residential care institutions are deprived of social, emotional and intellectual stimulation, which are critical to the healthy development of a child's brain. Distanced from mainstream society, children in institutions are particularly vulnerable to violence, neglect and, abuse. Experts affirm that the impact of child separation and institutionalization is severe and can last a lifetime.

The law states that the highest interest of children is not to remain in institutional care, but rather with their biological family. Currently, in Albania, 230 children live in public residential care facilities, however, most of them have biological families. Miri and Andi will continue to stay in the Institution. The time span of the parents' parental training depends on their interest, but also on the commitment of the social service structures to empower the family with a full package of services.

In the case of two children, their family is not yet ready to care for them, their father is still in prison. Flutura, their mother, continues to be afraid, because her husband could get out of jail and endanger both her and her daughter's life.

The way to the solution

For the first time, professionals from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection in Albania and UNICEF have developed an assessment of children and their families, for every child placed in institutional care. Experts have observed and are proposing options for the reunification of children with their biological families. Even when children have to leave their families to be more safe, other forms of care have to be found to recreate the family environment, such as foster families.

With the support of UNICEF and the Ministry of Health and Social Welfar[e], special teams of experts have been set up to assess the needs of children in institutional care. Work is underway with local government and residential care institutions to design and implement child development and family empowerment support programs. This team will also support each of the 231 children in six Public Care Institutions with the necessary services for their development and well[-]being until they are given opportunities to grow up in a family environment, because children like Miri and Andi deserve to grow up like all other kids.

"The social home in the village of Pastra", article in bTV News, dated December 7, 2003

Source:

Социалният дом в село Пастра (The social home in the village of Pastra), article written by Kristina Baksanova in bTV News, 7 December 2003

https://www.btv.bg/article/shows/btv-reporterite/temi/sotzialniyat-dom-v-selo-pastra.html

The article:

Социалният дом в село Пастра

Условията на живот в институции за хора с психически увреждания са тежки, а възможностите за рехабилитация и лечение - оскъдни. Това е записано в годишния доклад на Европейската комисия за страната ни.

7 декември 2003

автор: Кристина Баксанова

С лудите, ние здравите или се шегуваме, или отвръщаме уплашено глава, когато минат покрай нас на улицата. И е най-лесно да отсъдим, че някой е причинил на някого нещо, защото е луд и мястото му е в лудницата. Защо в България "лудницата" е по-страшна от "затвора"?! Какво причиняваме ние, здравите, на тях, лудите. И с какво ги подлудяваме?

Болницата

"Лудницата" - с това второ име бележат местните хора благоевградското село Хърсово. То е в планината, на десетина километра от града. В Хърсово са на лечение заедно мъже и жени. Шестима от тях са тук вече повече от три години. В болницата можеш да поиграеш... Или да попееш... Да сготвиш или да си купиш кола от барчето за 10 стотинки. Да помогнеш... Или да се влюбиш...

Домът

"Страх ли ви е от тях?" - с тези думи ни посрещнаха в дома за възрастни мъже с психични разстройства в село Пастра. До дома няма шосе, нито табела. Скрит е в Рилската обител. За да стигнете до него, трябва да се отклоните около 3 километра от пътя за Рилския манастир. Това не е лудница. Това е дом. В него живеят мъже, които са боледували от психични разстройства, но според медицинския термин сега са в ремисия. Това означава, че тези мъже всеки ден пият лекарства, за да се възстановяват напълно, не са в криза и съзнанието им е като на здрав човек. Повечето от пациентите са настанени в дома по искане на роднините им. И остават тук забравени завинаги.

Сред тях има и от наричаните "нормални". Като Асен. Той е настанен по искане на роднините му. "Аз съм от две години тука, в дома. Две години седях, един месец си бях в къщи и сега пак влезнах. Дойдохме в четвъртък с батко за подпис за лекарствата. Аз се забавих, защото ми стана лошо, а те са си заминали и аз останах", разказва Асен.

Според правния термин Асен е под "запрещение" - т. е. мъжът има роднина, който решава вместо него.

"Ако роднина или настойник не иска или не може да се справя с грижите за един психично болен, той може да бъде настанен в институция. Законът за социално подпомагане изисква това да се прави, когато са положени всички усилия, грижите за тези хора да се полагат в общността", обясни София Разбойникова от "Български адвокато за правата на човека".

В Пастра Асен не общува с никого, както повечето мъже в дома. Предпочита да е сам. Непрекъснато пита санитаря кога ще го пусне да се върне при роднините си в къщи.

- Да си живея при тях искам — казва Асен.

- Тук какво не ви харесва?

- Ами обстановката, чувствам се подтиснат.

Стаята на Асен е на последния етаж в една от сградите. "Стаите са хубави, не са лоши, но няма стъкло. Нощно време е студено, осветление няма", обяснява Асен. Не се налага мъжете да гасят лампата. Когато вали, усещат дъжда по лицето си, докато лежат в леглата. Тоалетната и банята са навън.

"В повечето домове няма материални условия тези грижи да бъдат полагани. Рядко за тях се полагат редовни грижи от лекари, редовни прегледи от стоматолог, гинеколог и т. н.", посочи София Разбойникова, адвокат по правата на човека.

За мъжете в Пастра се грижи общо практикуващ доктор. Психиатър няма. Само в два пъти в годината са преглеждани от такъв специалист. Директорът на дома Асен Косанов не е лекар, а санитар. "Тук са настанени пациентите, които не са в остър стадий на болестта и не се лекуват в болници. Тук са на поддържаща терапия", казва Асен Косанов.

- Могат ли да живят в града?

- Да, но не можем да сме сигурни, че няма да реагират по начин, който е опасен за околните.

- Например?

- Например, някои обичат да палят, някои да буйстват.

Още преди две години български и международни правозащитни организации сигнализираха, че условията в тези домове са опасни за здравето на обитаващите ги. В последния доклад на Европейската комисия е записано, че в България животът в институциите за хора с психически увреждания е тежки и неадекватен, а рехабилитацията и лечението - оскъдни.

"Има установени случаи на насилие, дори има установени случаи на смърт, поради недохранване и измръзване, които не се разследват, а това е задължение на българската държава", съобщи Разбойникова.

В дома в Пастра има около 90 пациенти и 36 души персонал. Шепнейки, работещите споделиха, че между тези мъже има математик, инженер, няколко учители и филолози. Никой от мъжете не посмя сам да ни заговори, все едно в дома нямаше непознати.

- Какво правят мъжете през деня?

- Най-често се пекат на слънце, когато времето позволява. 10-15 човека помагат на хората в съседното село, но основната част седят — отговори Асен Косанов.

В Пастра Асен трябва да се чувства като у дома си, но очите му остават помръкнали, а устните му прошепват само една молба: "Ако могат да ме пуснат да си ходя, да си отида от тук, завинаги!"

Центърът

Центърът за психично здраве "Адаптация" се намира в къща, в центъра на София. Готвачите в кухнята са "клиенти" на центъра. Това са хора с психични проблеми, които също са в ремисия като обитателите на дома в село Пастра. Те могат да избират как да прекарват част от свободното си време - например да напазаруват, или да приготвят вкусно ястие, да разговарят на чаша чай или кафе, да поспорят или да измайсторят нещо в групата по арт терапия. Всеки от тях идва в центъра след разговор с психиатър, психолог или личния си лекар.

Николета избира група по готварство. Тя разказва: "Аз останах съвсем сама, без работа, без семейство, без майка и дойдох тук, за да намеря една социална среда. Тук се срещам с хора с моето заболяване и сме много толерантни един към друг. По-голямо разбиране намирам, по-спокойна се чувствам."

"Като дойдем сутринта, всички се събираме и решаваме какво да сготвим. Даже вчера решили пълнени чушки, но чушките не са хубави и решихме да направим миш-маш", обяснява възрастна жена.

Програмата съществува от две години. През първата година парите отпуска неправителствена организация. Сега участниците продължават да идват в кухнята и всеки сам заделя по 50 стотинки или левче, за да купят продуктите. "Планираме горе-долу определена цена и купуваме. Важното е, че се събираме тук и сме заедно. Заедно си хапваме. Ние можем и вкъщи да си сготвим, но тук сме заедно и ни е по-весело, по не се чувстваме изолирани", сподели Николета.

Дневният център е един от моделите за грижи на хората с психични проблеми в общността - близо до домовете и семейства им.

- За какво си говорите най-често?

- Говорим си най-често какво ще сготвим. Но понякога и се оплакваме, на кой какво се е случило. Това, което другите хора не могат да го понесат, ние го понасяме. Нещо като групова терапия — отговаря Николета.

"Преди сме седмици Елена имаше рожден ден. Направихме торта, супа, пуснахме си музика, танцувахме. При нас няма никакъв хаос, както си мислят някои. При нас има по-голям ред, отколкото в обществото. И никой не крещи и не вика", обясни Николета.

И следващата седмица тя пак ще се среща с новите си приятели в центъра ще се чувства полезна: "Тук нямам шеф, който да ме травмира и да ми крещи. По-добре се чувствам - все едно си ходя на работа, но без шеф."

Трябва да има повече подобни дневни центрове за хора с психични проблеми е записано в бялата книга за здравното министерство за реформата на психиатричната помощ в страната ни. Засега малкото съществуващи подобни дневни центрове са подкрепяни само от неправителствени организации.

English translation (my own):

The social home in the village of Pastra

Living conditions in institutions for people with mental disabilities are difficult, and opportunities for rehabilitation and treatment are scarce. This is written in the annual report of the European Commission for our country.

December 7, 2003

author: Kristina Baksanova

With the insane, we, the healthy, either joke or turn our heads in fright when they pass us on the street. And it's easiest to judge that someone has done something to someone because they're crazy and their place is in the madhouse. Why in Bulgaria is the "madhouse" scarier than "prison"?! What do we, the healthy, do to them, the insane? And what do we drive them insane with?

The hospital

"The Madhouse" — with this middle name the locals mark the Blagoevgrad village of Harsovo. It is in the mountains, ten kilometers from the city. In Harsovo, men and women are being treated together. Six of them have been here for more than three years. In the hospital you can play... Or sing... Cook or buy a car from the bar for 10 stotinki. Help... Or fall in love...

The home

"Are you afraid of them?" — with these words we were greeted at the home for elderly men with mental disorders in the village of Pastra. There is no road or sign to the house. It is hidden in the Rila Monastery. To reach it, you have to deviate about 3 kilometers from the road to the Rila Monastery. This is not a madhouse. This is a home. It is inhabited by men who have suffered from mental disorders, but according to medical terms are now in remission. This means that these men take medication every day to fully recover, are not in crisis and their mind is like a healthy person. Most of the patients were placed in the home at the request of their relatives. And they remain forgotten here forever.

Among them are the so-called "normal" ones. Like Asen. He was accommodated at the request of his relatives. "I've been here for two years. I've been sitting here for two years, I've been home for a month and now I'm in again. We came on Thursday with my dad to sign the drugs. I was late because I felt sick and they left and I stayed", says Asen.

According to the legal term, Asen is under "interdiction" — i.e. the man has a relative who decides instead.

"If a relative or guardian does not want or cannot cope with the care of a mentally ill person, he or she can be placed in an institution. The Social Assistance Act requires this to be done when all efforts have been made to care for these people and put them in the community", explained Sofia Razboynikova, a Bulgarian human rights lawyer.

In Pastra Asen does not communicate with anyone, like most men in the home. He prefers to be alone. He constantly asks the nurse when he will be allowed to return home to his relatives.

"I want to live with them," says Asen.

"What don't you like here?"

"Well, the situation, I feel depressed."

Asen's room is on the top floor of one of the buildings. "The rooms are nice, not bad, but there is no glass. The nighttime is cold, there is no lighting," explains Asen. Men do not have to turn off the lamp. When it rains, they feel the rain on their faces as they lie in bed. The toilet and bathroom are outside.

"In most homes there are no material conditions for this care to be provided. They are rarely provided with regular care by doctors, regular check-ups by a dentist, gynecologist, etc.," said Sofia Razboynikova, a human rights lawyer.

The men in Pastra are cared for by a general practitioner. There is no psychiatrist. Only twice a year are they examined by such a specialist. The director of the home, Asen Kosanov, is not a doctor, but a nurse. "Patients who are not in the acute stage of the disease and are not treated in hospitals are accommodated here. They are on maintenance therapy here," says Asen Kosanov.

"Can they live in the city?"

"Yes, but we can't be sure that they will not react in a way that is dangerous to others."

"For example?"

"For example, some like to light fire, some like to riot."

Two years ago, Bulgarian and international human rights organisations signaled that the conditions in these homes were dangerous to the health of their occupants. The latest report of the European Commission states that in Bulgaria life in institutions for people with mental disabilities is difficult and inadequate, and rehabilitation and treatment are scarce.

"There are established cases of violence, there are even established cases of death due to malnutrition and frostbite, which are not being investigated, and this is an obligation of the Bulgarian state," Razboynikova said.

The home in Pastra has about 90 patients and 36 staff. Whispering, the workers said that among these men there was a mathematician, an engineer, several teachers and philologists. None of the men dared to speak to us alone, as if there were no strangers in the house.

"What do the men do during the day?"

"Most often get they baked in the sun when the weather allows. 10-15 people help the people in the neighboring village, but the main part is them just sitting", answered Asen Kosanov.

In Pastra, Asen tries to feel at home, but his eyes remain dark and his lips whisper only one plea: "If they can let me go, let me go from here, forever!"

The center

The "Adaptation" Mental Health Center is located in a house in the center of Sofia. The chefs in the kitchen are "customers" of the center. These are people with mental health problems who are also in remission like the residents of the home in the village of Pastra. They can choose how to spend part of their free time — for example, shopping, or preparing a delicious meal, talking over a cup of tea or coffee, arguing or doing something in the art therapy group. Each of them comes to the center after a conversation with a psychiatrist, psychologist or personal doctor.

Nikoleta chooses a cooking group. She says: "I was left completely alone, without a job, without a family, without a mother and I came here to find a social environment. Here I meet people with my illness and we are very tolerant of each other. I find a greater understanding, I feel calmer."

"When we come in the morning, we all get together and decide what to cook. Just yesterday we decided on stuffed peppers, but the peppers are not good and we decided to make mish-mash," explains an elderly woman.

The program has existed for two years. In the first year, the money was provided by a non-governmental organisation. Now the participants continue to come to the kitchen and each of them sets aside 50 stotinki or a levche to buy the products. "We plan a certain price and buy. The important thing is that we gather here and are together. We eat together. We can also cook at home, but here we are together and we have more fun, we don't feel isolated" , shared Nikoleta.

The day center is one of the models for caring for people with mental health problems in the community — close to their homes and families.

"What do you talk about most often?"

"We often talk about what we will cook. But sometimes we complain about what happened to whom. What other people can't stand, we put up with. Something like group therapy", Nicoleta answers.

"Weeks ago, Elena had a birthday. We made a cake, soup, played music, danced. There is no chaos with us, as some think. We have more order than in society. And no one screams or shouts", explained Nikoleta.

And next week she will meet her new friends at the center again and will feel useful: "I don't have a boss here who can traumatise me and scream at me. I feel better — it's like I'm going to work, but without a boss."

That there should be more such day care centers for people with mental health is written in the white paper for the Ministry of Health on the reform of psychiatric care in our country. So far, the few existing such day care centers are supported only by NGOs.

"Bulgaria: Disabled women condemned to 'slow death'", Amnesty International Press Release, dated October 10, 2001

Source:

Bulgaria: Disabled women condemned to 'slow death', Amnesty International Press Release, dated 10 October 2001

https://www.bghelsinki.org/en/news/bulgaria-disabled-women-condemned-to-slow-death

The article:

Bulgaria: Disabled women condemned to 'slow death'

Amnesty International Press Release

10 October 2001

AI Index EUR 15/002/2001 - News Service Nr. 180

It is a sad irony that on World Mental Health Day disabled women in Sanadinovo Home, a Bulgarian institution, continue to be condemned to a 'slow death', Amnesty International said today.

On 1 October 2001 representatives from Amnesty International, Bulgarian Helsinki Committee and Mental Disability Rights International visited a state institution for mentally disabled women in the village of Sanadinovo, Bulgaria. The delegation found that the material conditions and the lack of appropriate care for the most disabled women amounted to cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

"The conditions in the Sanadinovo Home for Mentally Disabled Women in Bulgaria are far worse than any documented anywhere else in the region, this is a 'slow death'!" stated a representative of Mental Disability Rights International.

Around 20 women, some of whom also suffer from mental illness, are housed in a two-room single storey building. This single storey building, with a small paved yard on two of its sides, is separated by a high wire fence from the grounds from the rest of the facility. The gate is kept locked.

At the time of the visit most of the women were sitting on the ground in the yard as there were no chairs or benches. They were wearing dirty, ill-fitting, tattered clothes and at least one woman was not wearing any underclothes.

Several women with amputated limbs or other physical disabilities apparently had no recourse to any mechanical or prosthetic devices. One of the physically disabled women was in an old wheel-chair but it was unclear if this was for her personal use or served others, as well. No one exhibited aggressive behaviour although some appeared as if they were experiencing distress and/or discomfort.

"The conditions in which the women of Sanadinovo are forced to live in are inhuman. The beds of two women who had stayed in the rooms were heavily soiled. The floors of the rooms were wet and there was an overpowering smell of urine and faeces even though all the barred windows and doors had been open. There were faeces on the floor, particularly under the beds, and traces of faeces all over the walls," said Ivan Fiser, Amnesty International's researcher on Bulgaria who visited Sanadinovo.

The delegation documented that the toilet facilities consist of two fully exposed squat toilets and a water faucet, adjacent to the room in which patients live. There is no separate space dedicated to day-time activities.

"It is unimaginable to think what this facility is like in colder weather, particularly in winter, when all doors would be closed," Mr. Fiser added. "Whether there is sufficient heating is another matter which could not be ascertained."

Furthermore, the Sanadinovo institution, caring for 97 women, is staffed by only four nurses and five orderlies who work in shifts. All night, only one nurse and an orderly are on duty.

"It is impossible for such a small staff to care for this number of women, particularly those who are most seriously disabled," Mr. Fiser stated.

Women who "misbehave" are held in a cage made with two brick walls and iron bars and wire on the remaining two sides. When the delegation visited Sanadinovo six women were being held in this three by one and a half metres space. They appeared calm and non-aggressive but also looked withdrawn and vacant.

The cage was full of urine and faeces and the women covered in filth. One woman was unclothed on the lower half of her body and many sores were visible on her skin. It was not possible to establish how long anyone would be subjected to this form of seclusion as no records of this appear to be maintained. There was no apparent staff supervision of these women, and the delegation saw another patient bringing them water in a plastic bottle to drink through the bars.

"These women are being held in conditions that contravene their rights to be treated with dignity and to protection for their physical and mental integrity. The institutions should be closed and the women of Sanadinovo moved to an adequate facility," Mr. Fiser said.

"Those who are responsible for such gross neglect in the treatment and care of the women held at Sanadinovo must be held accountable."

Background:

Most of the women of Sanadinovo had been brought to this state institution as orphans or they were committed when their parents or relatives could no longer care for them. They are a legacy of an unreformed mental disability care system in which hardly any support is provided to the parents and the doctors reportedly encourage that such children or adults be committed into state-run institutions.

Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms strictly prohibit anyone being subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Furthermore, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Mentally Retarded Persons proclaims that "the mentally retarded person has a right to protection from exploitation, abuse and degrading treatment" (paragraph 6.)

"The home for men with mental disorders in the village of Dragash Voyvoda will be closed", article in bTV News, dated May 19, 2002

Source:

Домът за мъже с психически разстройства в с. Драгаш Войвода ще бъде закрит (The home for men with mental disorders in the village of Dragash Voyvoda will be closed), article in bTV News, dated 19 May 2002

https://btvnovinite.bg/6216-Domat_za_maje_s_psihicheski_razstroystva_v_s_Dragash_Voyvoda_shte_bade_zakrit.html

The article:

Домът за мъже с психически разстройства в с. Драгаш Войвода ще бъде закрит

До края на годината Домът за мъже с психически разстройства в село Драгаш Войвода ще бъде закрит също като дома в Санадиново.

Публикувано в 23:21 ч. 19.05.2002 г.

Това заяви в предаването "Би Ти Ви Репортерите" заместник-министър Христина Христова. И двете социални заведения са на бюджетна издръжка към община Никопол. От октомври миналата година международни организации за защита на човешките права поискаха закриването на тези домове, заради нехуманни условия за живот в тях.

Домът за психично болни в Драгаш войвода няма щатен лекар. Личният лекар на 150-те мъже идва по два часа дневно.

От общинската служба се сърдят, че социалното министерство продължава да праща в Никопол хората с най-тежките умствени и психически проблеми в страната. Искат домовете в Санадиново и Драгаш войвода да преминат на държавна издръжка.

Сградата е на бивше земеделско стопанство, строена е по същото време както и училището в Санадиново.

В дома няма канализация. През зимата болните се отопляват с твърдо гориво. Според правозащитните организации смъртносттта в дома е висока - болните развиват пневмонии, тъй като печките не се палят през нощта, за да няма пожари.

"Как ще се реши въпросът с недостатъчната медицинска грижа в Дома за психично болни в Драгаш войвода. Там също са смесени хора с психически проблеми и умствена изостаналост?"

"Вие, всъщност, акцентирате върху един истински проблем. До този момент не е спазвана диференциацията между хора с умствена изостаналост и психически разстройства. Много от хората с психически проблеми са в активна фаза. Клинични случаи имат нужда от лечение. Ето защо следващият дом, в който ще направим това е Драгаш войвода. Само че това ще бъде втората половина на тази година," отговори на въпроса на Би Ти Ви Христина Христова, заместник-министър на труда и социалната политика.

English translation (my own):

The home for men with mental disorders in the village of Dragash Voyvoda will be closed

By the end of the year, the Home for Men with Mental Disorders in the village of Dragash Voyvoda will be closed just like the home in Sanadinovo.

Published at 11:21 PM on May 19, 2002

This was stated in the program "BTV Reporters" by Deputy Minister Hristina Hristova. Both social institutions are supported by the budget of the municipality of Nikopol. Since October last year, international human rights organisations have called for the homes to be closed due to inhumane living conditions.

The home for the mentally ill in Dragash Voivoda does not have a full-time doctor. The GP of the 150 men comes two hours a day.

The municipal service is angry that the Ministry of Social Affairs continues to send people to Nikopol with the most severe mental and psychological problems in the country. They want the homes in Sanadinovo and Dragash Voyvoda to be supported by the state.

The building is on a former farm, built at the same time as the school in Sanadinovo.

There is no sewerage in the house. In winter, patients are heated with solid fuel. According to human rights organizations, the death rate at the home is high — patients develop pneumonia because the stoves are not lit at night, so as to prevent fires.

"How will the issue of insufficient medical care in the Home for the Mentally Ill in Dragash Voyvoda be resolved? Are there also mixed people with mental health problems and mental disability?"

"You are, in fact, focusing on a real problem. So far, the differentiation between people with mental disability and mental disorders has not been observed. Many people with mental problems are in an active phase. Clinical cases need treatment. That is why the next home in which we will do this is Dragash Voyvoda. But this will be in the second half of this year," Hristina Hristova, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy, answered BTV's question.

"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)

http://www.posredniknews.com/site/obshtestvo/problemi/28496-detski-osvientzim-v-pleven-v-dom-maika-i-dete-vonya-na-urina-i-16-godishni-po-16-kg

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.

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"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

https://www.patrisnews.com/to-koritsi-exo-apo-to-klouvi-telioni-o-efialtis-tou-kepep-lechenon/

(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)

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