Bulgarian social minister angry with Brussels over Mogilino screening

19:41 Fri 29 Feb 2008 - Spasena Baramova

Photo: Dnevnik

Bulgaria's Labour and Social Policy Minister Emilia Maslarova accused European Union of a biased attitude on Bulgaria's Mogilino case, mediapool.bg reported.

Maslarova was in Brussels on February 29 2008 for the scheduled session of EU's Employment, Social Policy, Health and Consumer Affairs Council, during which she qualified as "improper" the initiative of Irish member of European Parliament (MEP) Kathy Sinnott to screen in the European Parliament BBC's documentary showing the horrible living conditions in Bulgaria's Mogilino social care home for disabled children.

Maslarova told journalists that making the issue a political one was not fair on Bulgaria and would by no means make solving it easier. She said she would not meet Sinnott's invitation to attend the screening of the documentary and the discussion that would follow, both scheduled for March 4, just one day after celebrations honouring Bulgaria's national holiday - March 3.

“I won't go because I don't think we should make the issue a political one. I don't think a film should be reason to demonise a state and the work of the state's institutions. I definitely think Bulgaria never ran away from its problems and there will be considerable changes in that direction,” Maslarova said.

According to Maslarova, Bulgaria was already experiencing considerable difficulties because of the “biased presentation of the situation at Mogilino”, mediapool.bg reported. She said people working at such social care homes were resigning en masse and that the number of people willing to adopt a disabled child also decreased because of the “extremely negative presentation of the conditions of these children”.

Bulgarian Health Minister Radoslav Gaidarski also commented on the Mogilino case, mediapool.bg said. In Vidin, where Gaidarski opened a day care centre for disabled children, he said that a premeditated campaign was being carried out against the Bulgarian people for their attitude towards disabled children and elderly people.

The Mogilino social care home became infamous after BBC aired a documentary on the poor conditions in which the children there were being raised. The documentary provoked considerable criticism against Bulgaria. It led to the intervention of UNICEF and to the carrying out of a nation-wide campaign to help the children living there. Finally the Bulgarian authorities decided to close down the home.

Comments

Comments by reader - 10:01 01 Mar 2008
	IT IS AN INTERNATIONAL CONSPIRACY AGAINST BULGARIA!!!! :D When will these jokes that call themselves politicians realise that the issue became political when they allowed the british filmcrew to film in mogilino because they thought it was an example of how well bulgarian institutions take care of the needy? Now that it doesn't fit their propaganda, it is a "premeditated campaign against the Bulgarian people". gimmeabreak! If it wasn't for the international outcry following this film, these kids would still be rotting away at that place. Not that Maslarova or Gaidarski would care. The way things work here, once again the EU will have to make Bulgaria clean up its act. When will politicians in this country grow up?
Comments by Reader - 19:21 01 Mar 2008
	I watched the film months ago. There were mistakes in the translation from bulgarina to english(wich seemed to be made intentionaly). Comments were definately not made by experts and are not accurate. I too believe that there is much to be done in order to improve the live of waifed children, not only of those with disabilities, but the viewer of the film has to understand that the 40? minutes of the BBC documentary are an extract showing only the negative facts of the whole materil filmed in a couple of months. The attention wouldn't have been so big if the film had shown the whole/real story... Beside all this, I was shocked be the comentary about the computer the director said she needs? How can a facility of that kind function without a computer? How should the director order something for the home, write a report or print a document? How should she do the accounting and managing without such a basic "tool"? How could she improve the living standard without having the possibility to write a digital letter? People..., use your own mind to judge and don't allow the media to manipulate you too much. Have in mind that BBC made a lot of money on this movie! Changes were made and further changes have to be made, but I disagrees that this is the place to start with. This is of course just my own opinion. The opinion of an economist who has visited many homes like the one in mogilino.