The price of a Bulgarian baby in Greece is 18 000 euro, expert says
Bulgarian children were the largest number of all children victims of human trafficking in Greece, Bulgarian National Anti-Trafficking Commission chief secretary Antoaneta Vassileva was quoted by Bulgarian news agency Focus as saying on April 7 2009.
"Because of demographic problems, there is high demand for children in Greece," she told a forum on fighting human trafficking. The event was organised by the National Investigative Service and RiskMonitor foundation.
In 2008, there were seven cases of trafficking of Bulgarian babies, most of whom were destined for Greece, she said.
According to her, the price for a baby boy was 18 000 euro and for a baby girl between 13 000 and 14 000 euro. Usually the money was paid in two transactions, she said, but in most cases the mother - usually of Roma origin - got no more than 3000 euro.
If the buyers did not like the baby very much, the price could go down, she said.
Vassileva said that hospitals were well aware of the trafficking scheme. Usually a baby that was to be trafficked was not registered when born or it was registered as a child with a Greek father.
Lawyers and notaries were also involved in the scheme.
A major problem was that no one in Bulgaria kept a record of pregnant women who leave the country, meaning that there was no means of recording when a woman left the country pregnant but returned without a child.
"Because of demographic problems, there is high demand for children in Greece," she told a forum on fighting human trafficking. The event was organised by the National Investigative Service and RiskMonitor foundation.
In 2008, there were seven cases of trafficking of Bulgarian babies, most of whom were destined for Greece, she said.
According to her, the price for a baby boy was 18 000 euro and for a baby girl between 13 000 and 14 000 euro. Usually the money was paid in two transactions, she said, but in most cases the mother - usually of Roma origin - got no more than 3000 euro.
If the buyers did not like the baby very much, the price could go down, she said.
Vassileva said that hospitals were well aware of the trafficking scheme. Usually a baby that was to be trafficked was not registered when born or it was registered as a child with a Greek father.
Lawyers and notaries were also involved in the scheme.
A major problem was that no one in Bulgaria kept a record of pregnant women who leave the country, meaning that there was no means of recording when a woman left the country pregnant but returned without a child.