The Ministry of Justice published a list of the children with severe health diagnoses They are looking for parents for sick children through Internet 2-3 thousand young rascals do not ever get to the adoption register
18 March, 2009 - NATALIA FINASHKOVA SVETLA KAROLEVA
Facsimile from the site of the Ministry of Justice
Sick and abandoned children were arranged in a list at the Ministry of Justice, published on the official page of the institution. The idea is the young rascals with disabilities to get the chance for adoption by foreign parents. The number of these kids reached almost 800, and among the diagnoses described there are Dawn’s syndrome, oligophrenia and cerebral palsy.
The list includes only the age of the child, its sex and a short history of its illness. If any of the licensed intermediary companies becomes interested in any of the children, it may send an official inquiry to the judicial authority. Additional information about the child will be dispatched from there, as well as its photo. If the agency finds parents interested in any of the children, the future adopters become entitled to spend anywhere between 5 days and 2 months with the kid.
The Deputy Minister of Justice Ilonka Raychinova explained that last year the agencies asked for additional information for 186 of these children. Unfortunately, the adoption procedure was initiated for just 10 of them. 5 children, on the other hand, were approved and documents were signed for adoption and very soon they will be on their way to their new homes.
The children singled out in this list, are almost 80% of the kids who were entered into the intercountry adoption register. The data about the remaining 186 children, who are not suffering from illnesses, are not published on the Internet.
Spokesmen from the Ministry of Justice explain that an obstacle to the fast adoption of the children is the unfinished work by the "Social Assistance" Directorates in the country. It is their responsibility to fill out the dossier providing the status of the prospective adoptee. When the dossier is incomplete, or data is missing from it, it is impossible to start the process of entering the child into the adoption register. Just in 2004 and 2005 the dossiers of 86 children were not approved and therefore their situation is unclear.
As an extremely concerning trend the institution points the fact that nobody controls the birth rate of mothers with severe mental and psychological problems. As an example they point to the story of a mother with olygophrenic diagnosis, who at (probably till) age 32 gave birth and abandoned 16 children in homes. According to experts these children have no chance of being adopted due to their grave family history contained in their health records, even if the kids themselves are completely healthy.
Another troublesome fact according to the justice authorities is that the medical records of the kids very often are replete with suspicions for horrible diagnoses, which, though, are never followed up or rejected. Very often these children are actually healthy, and there is the opposite case – children with flawless medical records are suffering from severe illnesses.
Around 2-3 thousand children in the homes, prospective adoptees, do not reach the adoption register, the institution further explains. The reasons are that consent for adoption was not obtained from their parents. The procedure for entering them into the adoption register is also delayed, for which the regional social assistance directorates are to blame.
The change in the members of the Intercountry Adoptions Council at the Justice Authority was one of the measures for speeding up the intercountry adoption procedure. Now the sessions of the Council are held every Tuesday, and during each session at least 20 dossiers of children entered into the intercountry adoption register are examined. At least 50 dossiers of prospective adopters are reported in the order of their entry. At the end of each month information is published on the Internet page of MJ about the examined dossiers of the prospective adopters and the offers made for adoption.
Full inventory counting was performed on all dossiers of children, which were received in the Ministry and were not entered into the register. Thus non-entered dossiers of children were examined, waiting for their registrations since 2004. In the period between 2004 and 2007 the experts have added a total of 344 children. Decree No. 3 is expected to be amended and expanded, providing for the incomplete children’s dossiers to be returned to the regional social assistance directorates. An inspection by the Prosecutor’s Office and the National Audit Office has proven that there were no violations or indications of crime found. The majority of Bulgarian adoptees leave for Italy - 54% of all offers. Electronic registers of the children and the prospective adopters were also introduced.
The measures lead to the following results. The expert inspections of the dossiers of children and their entry into the intercountry adoption register already are performed within 1-2 months of receiving them when there are no omissions in them. In 2008 during sessions of the Council 866 applications of adoptive foreigners were examined, while in 2007 they were 283, and 252 for 2006. The examined dossiers of children for 2008 are 1064, while in 2007 they were only 100. 472 children were offered to 423 prospective adopters. The dossiers of 704 children with special needs were examined – sick or older, and a decision was made to apply a special procedure for searching out prospective adopters for them.
Austin Pompeo, age 17
I was born in Varna on 10 June 1998. I went to my new permanent family 9 years ago.
When I was living in the orphanage I waited for someone to love me and take me with them. I was really sad and lonely, without having anyone to love me as a parent.
My mom told me she had always prayed to become a mother one day. On the day when we met God removed our sorrow.
Mom told me she wanted me to become a wonderful man when I grew up and I think that I really will be such a man.
Mira Betendorf, age 14
I was born bearing the name Stanimira Stefanova, in Yambol. I was adopted by Steve and Djidji Betendorf when I was four. They called me Mira. Now I live in Norfolk, Nebraska. I want to become a famous trumpet player or a musician.
After I was adopted, I underwent two operations. My tonsils were outside, while my auricles were in the ear canals . They operated on both my legs. While I am growing up, my legs will grow up straight. They will try to straighten and twist also my ankles and my feet into a more normal position. I am so thankful to may parents that they are trying to adjust my legs so they don’t hurt so much.
One day I would like to return to Bulgaria and visit the places where my roots are.
Aaron Peg, age 14
I was born in Bulgaria and I was adopted when I was 2 years of age. Now I live in Canada with my parents, my 11-year old sister Brianna and my brother Conner. All children in our family are adopted, just like my father. Adoption is a large part of our life.
I collect photos from the time when I lived in Bulgaria, I collect souvenirs.
The next year I am going to high school and I am a bit nervous about it.
When I came here I was very sick. My trachea was injured and I had hard time breathing. Now I can ride a bike, run and play like all children. I love to play basketball.
Christian Kate, age 9
I was born in Montana, Bulgaria, now I live in America. I am 9.
My mom asked me what it meant to be adopted. This means that my parents wanted me very much. They have often told me how God picked me out. They have told me several times how they searched for me all over the world to find me and take me home. Now they love me and I have a future. I have a home of my own. I love my family very much; they are very, very good to me.
I love cars and trucks. I have had several pets – a dog, a turtle, fish, crabs, a rabbit and three guinea pigs.
Always when I watch the Olympic Games or other world events I become emotional when I see a Bulgarian team and a flag.
Christine Lynn Schwartz, age 17
My school leaving party will be soon at the "Indian Hills " high school in Oakland, New Jersey. I have a wonderful family. It is an incredible feeling to know that every day I wake up in a family that genuinely loves me and which I can always trust.
I am a lead singer in two church choirs. Singing forms a large part of my life.
When I think of the adoption I realize the extent of the responsibility of this decision.
To have a mother and a father - adopters, is the most wonderful feeling a child may ever feel. The parents I am with now are not my adopters, they are my real parents that God in his unconditional love sent me!
Emma Wrestler, age 21
Emma came to live with us when she was 4 years and a half old, while in October 2009 she will become 21.
She had to overcome several difficulties. She had severe strabismus and stomatological problems, furthermore she had serious troubles with studying, but she managed. Were enrolled her in private schools.
She was admitted to a college in Muskingum where her father studied.
Emma strongly wishes to help people in need. She went to Zambia where she works in three orphanages. She doesn’t feel adopted because we are her family and she is indelible part of us.