BBC's Mogilino documentary is "anti-Bulgarian campaign" - Purvanov

12:54 Mon 10 Mar 2008 - Spasena Baramova

President Georgi Purvanov became the latest official to come out and criticise BBC4 documentary Bulgaria's Abandoned Children as a film aimed against Bulgaria and Bulgarian people during a discussion on child issues, health care and social care homes, held in the town of Rousse on March 9 2008.

“I was deeply perturbed by that film, which is not made with love towards Bulgaria, which is a part of an anti-Bulgarian campaign that I do not know who and to what end has instigated,” he said as quoted by mediapool.bg.

There are things featured in the film we are fully aware of, Purvanov said, although he added that the standard of care in homes like Mogilino was not anywhere near to what Bulgaria should aspire to.

Bulgaria has 144 social care homes for children, 25 of them being for disabled children. A large number of children in there, around 90 per cent, were abandoned, not orphans, and Parliament should adopt measures to reduce the scale of the process, Purvanov said.

The presidency would establish a work group to draw up 10-15 points for specific actions to be taken in line with the strategy. Purvanov also proposed that a “Priyateli” (Friends) club be created to allow the Bulgarian business and social communities related to the issues at child social care homes work together, mediapool.bg quoted him as saying.

Another measure would be to raise salaries of the personnel employed in social care homes, improving their motivation, he said during the discussion, which also included Labour and Social Policy Minister Emilia Maslarova and Health Minister Radoslav Gaidarski.

The Mogilino social care home for disabled children became infamous after BBC aired Bulgaria's Abandoned Children documentary by Kate Blewett. The film showed the horrible living conditions in the home and shocked the public. Following the screening, UNICEF intervened and a national campaign to raise money to help the Mogilino children was carried out by Bulgarian private broadcaster bTV. Finally, the state institutions decided to close down the home.

The screening of the documentary at the European Parliament on March 4 2008 and the discussion that followed, however, made a number of Bulgarian politicians claim the overexposure of the film was aimed against Bulgaria.

Comments

Comments by Cherie B - 13:44 10 Mar 2008
	Wake up and smell the coffee boys, what do you really expect from what is now known in the UK as Brown (formerly) Blairs Broadcasting Company. The British have always been very good at poking their noses into others peoples affairs and stiring up the crap !!!
Comments by smiley - 15:45 10 Mar 2008
	Well this is just a further demonstration of what is wrong in Bulgaria today! Another report published by the Bulgarian authorities themsleves shows that the Mogilino home met only 1 from 26 standards set by he Bulgarian authorities themselves. Unfortunately, no one would even know this if it were not for the BBC film and the response it created. Equally the roundatable in Ruse held by the President would not I fear have even been thought about if it were not for the film. The event was also not very well organised as I see. The reality is the government does not care about its people.
Comments by Dianne Hatton - 18:35 10 Mar 2008
	I would say that most EU countries treat their animals better than Bulgaria treats its orphans, what do you expect them to think. Its Fact, orphans in this country are mistreated and the only way to stop others condemming this position is to change it for the better. Bulgaria is happy to spend obscene amounts of money on new shopping malls, wanton distruction of beautiful land to unscrupulous property developers, New Porsches and Ferarri's, Gucci shops, 5 star hotel complexes, but NOTHING on the people it represents. The Government should be ashamed of itself as should the Big corporates of Bulgaria. How big a job would it be to setup a social fund from the HUGE profits that Captalism and the EU have provided and actually spend this money on the people who need it. Communism may have gone nearly 20 years ago, but the mentality definately remains.
Comments by Koos Jan Schouten - 07:43 11 Mar 2008
	10-15 points, nice one Mr. President, I didn't know you could count that high... Bravo! So far the only action has been taken is to announce the closure of this home which will mean that the children will be scattered all over the country. That is the Bulgarian way. Why fix it, if you can bulldose it. Please BBC, NOS, CNN, RAI, ARD, ZDF, DW and others, come back and make more documentaries. About Children Homes, Child Prostitution, Alcoholism, Corruption, Gun Control, Traffic Laws, Drug Trafficking, Discrimination against everybody who is not a 'real' Bulgarian, Crumbling Medical Health System, Increasing Illiteracy, Ignored Building Codes, Flooded Villages, Spousal Abuse, VAT Fraud, Dubious Elections and Class Justice just to mention my 16 points.
Comments by STELLA KANEVA - 20:27 13 Mar 2008
	Wake up BULGARIA and Bulgarians.EVERYTHING IN THE FILM IS TRUE.I AM born there Iknow. Nothing had changed in the country.The communism ,the old ways of covering the truth, the brutality are not not gone .I ve signed with my own eyes how children in foster homes ''DOM MAIKA I DETE'' how little they have to eat. that they have NOT known the taste of fruts,espesially the bananas ,eat a meat just 1or 2 times a week,do not have good cloths to be shown to perspective adoptive parents,are mallnurished and without any pampers for hours. The situation is the same in the homes for elderly.The money and the food send in Bulgaria via' Red Cros's is taken immediately from the people in ''charge of the city'' ,new villas are build and the children are still hungry. THE corruption in Bulgaria is even bigger now,the name of the parties are changed,but the croaked mantallity is the same. A country threating as cruel way it s own elderly and helpless children CAN NOT BE CALLED a democratic country and the rest of the world will understand soon the biggest mistake allowing Bulgaria in UN Stella kaneva,Santa Monica,USA MARCH 13.2008