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From Pro Media
Drama of the orphan kids at the Bulgarian orphanages.
This week the TV show "Na chisto" asked questions regarding the future of
those 10000 kids in Bulgaria who are deprived of parental care - "What happens
with the kids who have never find adoptive parents?", "How and why does the
state sent two abandoned brothers for adoption in the USA but then sent their
bio-sister for adoption in Switzerland instead to send her to join her
brothers?"
The drama of the Bulgarian kids living in orphanages is really big. Although
there are people who want to take a good care for those kids the bureaucracy
does not allow them to do it.
Family Rubin are Americans who live in New York. They have a good social as
well as financial status. Mitch is a Chief of the Aircraft traffic at the JFK
Airport and Ann is a financial advisor with the Federal Reserve. They have a
very strong connection with Bulgaria. Their two boys - Serjan and Andrew
(biological brothers) are Bulgarian orphan kids adopted for the orphanage in
Targovishte, Bulgaria. Later they decided to adopt their brother's biological
sister, who lives in the same orphanage. To gather biological brothers and
sisters is a rule all over the world, unless there are serious reason to not
do it. Although this is rule, the Rubin family faces a strong resistance from
the Bulgarian state authorities to adopt this girl. They sent all the required
papers to be enlist in the Registrar of foreign candidates for adoption from
Bulgaria. Few months later they had been asked to present a more detailed
Medical clearance for Mitch. This is because he has a light Diabetes which is
easily controlled by a special diet and medicine. His doctor sent a detailed
opinion on his medical condition saying that he is in good general health, he
is also an active person and his expected lifetime is the same as to all
healthy people. There were few more months of waiting for good news from
Bulgaria after that. The Bulgarian agency who represents family Rubin had
tried to get information from the Ministry of justice on their case but such
an information had been refused. So, they advised the family to ask the
American Embassy in Sofia for help. The Embassy had sent a request for
information on Rubin's case to the Ministry of justice. The reply of the
Ministry was the biggest surprise for the family. The had been removed from
the Registrar because the hadn't been set the required Medical statement for
Mitch. This Statement had a ref. # from the Ministry of justice showing that
it had been submitted there long ago. Later, somehow this statement appeared
from somewhere at the Ministry, may be because of the Embassy's request.
Family Rubin have been enlisted in the Registrar again. This happened in
November 2006. Just before Christmas the family had been informed that the
girl they want to adopt is referred for adoption to a Swiss family.
To have one abandoned child given for adoption with a foreign family first
his/her bio family should officially state that they release their child for
adoption. They the regional adoption councils should try to find a Bulgarian
family for this child. The child could be referred to a foreign family for
adoption when at least 3 Bulgarian families refuse to adopt this child and
child's papers stay at least 6 months with the regional council.
Even in this humanitarian field there is a large number of opportunities for
corruption. Since 2003 all adoptions go through the regional councils of
Social welfare. Then when there is no Bulgarian families wanting to adopt the
child it's file goes to the Registrar for International adoptions at the
Ministry of Justice. There is an Adoption Council which decides which child in
which family to be adopted. There is 642 children adopted by Bulgarian
families and 108 children adopted by foreign families in 2005. The Ministry of
justice's version for this small number of international adoptions is that
Hague Convention requires to look for adoptive families first in the native
country of the abandoned child because this is for his/her best interest.
People who are working in the adoption services field doubt that everything
that happens at the Ministry of justice is clear and it is really justice.
There is a lack of information and suspicion of corruption. There is also a
wrong presented information on the EU requirements as well as the rules of the
intercountry relations in this field. We can not present the opinion of the
Ministry of justice on this problems because we got a refusal on our request
for an interview with a representative of the ministry. Information on the
document issued by the EU regarding mentioned limitation of the international
adoption's number hasn't been given too.
What are the criteria to choose which 100 of all the available children for
international adoption to get into a procedure and what are the criteria to
choose 100 of all the registered foreign families remains in secret. Many
people believe that the criteria is which adoption agency represents those
families in Bulgaria. It appears that whole the power to decide one adoption
is concentrated in one and the same place - International Adoption Department
of the Ministry of justice. There is also a Council of International adoptions
who requires to the Minister to give a permission on each adoption case.
Members of the Council are representatives of the ministry of justice,
Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social welfare,
Ministry of foreign affairs and the National Agency for child's protection!
Who exactly those people are? This is something that just a few people cold
say.
You can share your opinion on the foregoing, send your story or just contact
the crew who made this film through the shown above contacts
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