Romania Violates Rights of Infants and Children with Disabilities
by Jon Henshaw
This story was too horrendous for me to not mention on FamilyResource.com. I’m not sorry for showing this image of one of the abused children. This is a shocking story that everyone should know about. I encourage you to read the entire report, and to take some sort of action if you can.
Mental Disability Rights International (MDRI), has found children with disabilities hidden and wasting away, near death, in Romania’s adult psychiatric facilities. A report released by MDRI, Hidden Suffering: Romania’s Segregation and Abuse of Infants and Children with Disabilities, describes teenagers weighing no more than 27 pounds. Some children are tied down with bedsheets, their arms and legs twisted and left to atrophy.
Despite Romanian government claims that it has ended the placement of babies in institutions, MDRI found infants languishing in a medical facility so poorly staffed that the children never leave their cribs. Many of these children have no identity papers. Officially, they do not exist.
These shocking revelations come at a time when Romania, in its effort to join the European Union (EU), is under pressure to reduce the number of children in institutions. Romanian officials admitted to MDRI that they had no idea how many children with disabilities are in adult facilities.
“We call on the government of Romania and the EU to put a stop to these abuses,” said Eric Rosenthal, Executive Director of MDRI. “These are Romania’s most vulnerable citizens. The inhumane and degrading treatment that they are forced to endure is intolerable and violates international human rights law.”
Read the Full Report (PDF)
This entry was posted on Thursday, May 11th, 2006 at 10:52 am and is filed under Child Abuse. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
July 21st, 2007 at 5:58 am
I was SHOCKED and also OUTRAGED at this. At the same time my heart was crushed with tears. A picture is worth more than a thousand words. I am presenting this in my church today to say, “What on earth are we going to do about this?” We have to do something and we HAVE to start in our own communities.
God alone can help us…Only a God can stop an entire world from committing such crimes against children, and mothers, and fathers…
Jesus, come and help us…please…
July 24th, 2007 at 6:13 pm
Im looking at this picture with fear and worried tears.It looks like a student from the disability room.
September 21st, 2007 at 3:20 pm
I published them, Mikael.
I am the new writer on this blog and I do not censor comments from people who oppose an idea or anything written here. I seriously doubt that Jon would have censored you, either.
No one is selective and if you have something you would like to have written that opposes this blog post, then I challenge YOU to provide me with information that is current and valid. You can write me via
writing all night @ gmail. com no spaces.
October 11th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
The problem with the over abundancy with these children is that 90% are gypsies. Unfortunately gypsies wont adopt gypsies, Romanians wont adopt gypsies and the rest of the world is unaware of it. The good thing is that since Romania has joined the EU the adoption laws are lighter and it will be much much easier for outsiders to adopt from Romania. and if anyone is interested the city with the most of this present is Braila.
October 12th, 2007 at 7:40 am
I am from Romania. First of all, I see nothing else but special cases, that will happen in poor countries. Which Romania is.
I understand your rethorics, but could you come by, live with a family of four that only has 150$ per month, and tell me if the special cases you present to me actually make sense.
And… wanna bet I find more loonies and more misery in US than in Romania?
I am not suggesting it’s not a problem, I know we have a problem, but you have no solution. Go on, people, go on and pray, the silent ghost will solve stuff.
PS: I’m not afraid to walk the streets of my city at night. How about you?
October 14th, 2007 at 6:03 am
This piture is awful, to know such things are going on to innocent children is a disgrace. “God alone can help us.” i know people believe that God can help and this is their belief, but if there was a God why is he allowing things like this to happen in our world!!! It is the people in the world which are allowing these kind of things to happen. And no amount of praying and hoping can change this fact, more needs to be done by the people to stop this from occuring.
October 14th, 2007 at 9:00 am
Please, those of you who comment, please keep the conversation a friendly debate.
I had to delete some very rude things and I would prefer to keep this blog a place where people can have intelligent conversation without being flamed.
I will be updating the information that pertains to the situation soon, when I have researched all of it. I did not post the original post nor write the article on the website, but I will post updates as they come.
October 22nd, 2007 at 8:58 pm
There is nothing friendly abut this issue or about you and your site. You are set to make a visual impression in the name of your Lord and you know that. You have just read an article and you think you know everything and you are better than the others. What an arrogance. You could not care less for the poor gypsy child shown. Matter of fact, if you had the chance you would burn or gas him, just like the nazis did with millions of people including their own handicapped children. If he were a black child from New Orleans …you would not care to show his photo. It would be politically incorrect. I bet you are also denying the holocaust. Jon Henshaw is a religious freak and so are you. Matter of fact my guess is that that Julie is Jon.
Now, look at the responses you’ve got. Almost nothing to support your supposedly cause, whatever it might be. Who knows … tomorrow you might claim credit for improving the situation in far away places like Romania as if they really need your advise.
How come you don’t see what happens in the USA?
Today: 11 month baby found dead in the attic … mother ..25 year old ..not from Romania. You must be disappointed that she is American and not Romanian. Check out the news.
Three year old baby girls raped by American ..shown on video in the news ..check out the news. I was so stunned to see them showing the face of the poor little girl.
Should I continue?
Shame on you!
October 24th, 2007 at 8:16 am
Mikeal,
I am allowing your comments again on a trial basis. You were and still are out of line, but a little controversy is an ok thing.
Look, you are allowed your beliefs as I am allowed mine. But I shall set you straight on a few things. Again.
1. I did not write this post.
2. I am NOT Jon.
3. I did not begin employment here until August of this year.
4. I am not a christian, so why would I promote anything religious.
I agree with you that things in America are just as bad in places. I know it for a fact because I have seen it. But I refuse to have further conversation with someone who has been nasty in their comments from the beginning. And I refuse to take down the post. It is not my right to remove another author’s writings. I do NOT own the site.
And if you are in doubt to my being ‘Jon’, then please do a google search for Julie Fletcher. You are free to visit my personal blogs and my other ventures in writing to make your own decision. I do not write under any other name but my own.
November 7th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
Here we go again! What more can I say?
November 8th, 2007 at 4:32 pm
Hm? I haven’t made any other comments, but thanks for your email. Hope all is well.
December 10th, 2007 at 7:50 pm
My nine-year-old sister lives in Romania (I was adopted at 3wks) I’m afraid she will look like that or become unhealthy. I want her to live with me. I don’t know what I can do to bring her here to the US.
December 19th, 2007 at 8:13 am
I’m from Romania and I can tell you that is not true. I big lie.
Let’s talk about this: here in USA if you are under 20, you cannot buy any alchool, right? Because you are not mature yet to be responsable for your actions. Ok, nothing to say.
But if you want to join army and go in Afganistan and kill somebody, you are enough mature, right?
Please tell me where I’m wrong, my logic stop…
December 20th, 2007 at 8:27 pm
Here we go with political propaganda again! Let us blame an entire country and make people believe what certain interests dictate. We are all human beings and me are equally responsible for this tragic situation.
How would it make you feel if I posted a photo of an abused elder in a nursing home and presented it as the US image over and over again? Anybody who has not visited the country would think this is all the US is about. I find the posting of the picture to be despicable on many levels. Everybody is entitled to an opinion, which is not right or wrong, just personal. Journalism is OBJECTIVE, based on FACTS and RESPONSIBLE. What reseach have YOU done? It is too easy to judge when ignorant on a subject matter.
What is a report good for if it does not provide any solutions or alternatives? Anybody could write endless pages about what is wrong with any given place in the world. It is usually a funding problem and I do not think I need to remind you what an extensive problem that is in the US. How come this American organization has no reports on the US? Is it perfect here? We should ask the opinion of a homeless person.
Mary, I am sure your sister is fine. You can find all the information you need on http://www.uscis.gov. You should go on a visit to Romania and experience it for yourself. It is you heritage, afterall.
We can all help make this world a better place, and while faith is important, it is ACTION that is required. It is as easy as helping the person next to you. Why wait for God to fix things when people are able to help people?
December 31st, 2007 at 9:34 am
This is not Romanian. This is a gypsy. Romanians are of European origin while Gypsies are of Indo-Pakistani origins.
December 31st, 2007 at 3:30 pm
This is sad yet outraging!This is all our fault though.If only the romanian goverment would do something.I have seen this for my self children tied down.we all need to do something about this!
people may blow it off but look at this people!what do you need to see….a dead child?!get your act together romanian goverment!
January 2nd, 2008 at 3:30 pm
Julie Fletcher, can you really not see what a big hypocrite you are? Did the American system really brained washed all your neurons? It is amazing how you raise the discussion about this misfortune child which by the way can be from Romania as well as he can be from the rest of the word and also the picture maybe was taken in the early 90’s when we did have problems of this mater. Is a disturbing image in did, but doesn’t prove anything. How can I know for a fact the picture was shot in Romania? Do you give me your word of honor? But how could I believe you, a person from a nation that didn’t recognized African-American people rights as equal human bins for hundreds of years or a person from a nation that used atomic bombs on another nation (Do you need the name of this country? Probably you do, Americans and universal history or geography for that mater, are not very good friends. Do you even have this subject in the educational system? Don’t think so.) or a person from a nation that is using ‘war against terrorism’ as a pretext to invade states to test new weapons and also try and get more oil. How many pictures of not handicaps, but DEAD babies or kids can I upload on this blog? Did you ever though of that! Should I continue with more examples? You are an ignorant! When Mikael wrote some facts explaining that is wrong to generalize and you completely ignore what he said about that baby been raped and another one found dead in an attic (American home news). Typical attitude! And you want to make me believe that you care? How dear you?
You see people, bottom line is I can write too, happy days, but do you think the poor kid in the picture feels any better?
GOD BLESS AMERICA (That is ironic, Julie! And ironic is when you say something but you don’t really mean it).
Ps. You should change the motto to: GOD, PLEASE FORGIVE US!
January 3rd, 2008 at 10:34 am
Lucian,
I am not the author of this post. I have stated that before, but I am not removing this post nor the picture.
I completely agree that atrocities happen in America, some of the most heinous crimes against children have happened here in my home country and it shames me, not as an American, but as a HUMAN that anyone in any country could treat a child in any manner other than with love.
I did NOT write the article concerning the subject matter in the picture. How could I? I do not know anything about the activities in Romania. Nor would I ever write anything that could be considered Christian propaganda. I am not a christian, nor do I plan on converting my religious views any time in the future.
Why am I leaving this post open to view and comments? Because people from all over the world can then post their own views on this article the post links to. Not to mention that I did not write it, nor do I own copyright to it and will not remove the writings of another writer without permission.
So, please keep in mind when you do reply to this, that I am NOT the author and my views may be very different from the original poster’s.
As for American politics, I have my own views on the corruption that is our government. It is the same in every country, not everyone will agree with their government in the way it handles matters. Do I hate America? Far from it. I love my country. Every person should love their country. That does not mean I love the policies or the way they are carried out.
Thank you for posting your views.
January 3rd, 2008 at 2:04 pm
I think that this picture is sad. Everyone knows that it is sad. But there is really no one to blame. Except for the people who put that child there. It is not the whole countries fault. Romania is beautiful, so is america and so is any other country. There is madness everywhere. You are not going to be able to escape. So, all we can do is help as much as you can. Everything happens for a reason.
January 6th, 2008 at 10:32 pm
Julie,
I do believe that posting this picture does violate the rights of this unfortunate child. Would you post a picture of your own child like that?
With whose permision are you posting the picture? Don’t you think it’s unethical?
January 7th, 2008 at 9:52 am
I don’t agree with this post because it defame Romania… you saw mary’s reaction on this post, she really taught that this happens if you stay in Romania.. damn. This is not the reality people, this kid is a gypsi, they don’t respect any laws, they want all for free and don’t like working. Now, that we are in European Union you’ll see more often gypsies in the corner of blocks asking for money in any counbtry of EU. This case could happen in any country.
Thanks to my romanians who replied to this article. Don’t let this ignorants from US to damage our image.(i don’t mean all americans)
Shame on you John for this post!
January 10th, 2008 at 5:13 pm
“Romania Violates Rights of Infants and Children with Disabilities”? FALSE! Romania is a EU country that respects the rights of all children. Jon Henshaw is probably one of those who had a lot of money to lose because Romania no longer permits (white) children to be adopted. Jon Henshaw is just trying to get his revenge and defame Romania and EU. Jon, go look in your own yard! Romania is listening to France, Germany and EU countries in general, not to USA.
January 10th, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Oh, and the child in the picture looks like an Asian or something, not Romanian. Romanians are not guilty for black Asians that do not look after their children. Romania is not a multiracial country (like USA or France) and therefore is not responsible for the acts of nonwhite minorities. Romanians are white. The child in the picture is not Romanian. He could be a Romanian citizen but he is not an ethnic Romanian.
January 14th, 2008 at 5:58 am
It`s really sad to see the kid in that picture. But that kind of things maybe were happening in Romania in 1990. Back then Romania was a country with lots of problems. Now things are diferent. I don`t understand why somebody from outside is trying to make a bad image to Romania. Or maybe ‘Peter from Bucharest’ was right. Somebody lost lots of money and now is the payback time. I am wondering if Jon Henshaw was ever visiting Romania. If yes when? Just after the comunists fall. That picture is not representing my country! And by the way the kid in the picture is a gipsy. Gipsy`s don`t represent Romania !!!
January 23rd, 2008 at 6:07 am
I was looking for pictures with Romania to show to my foreign friends….just typed Romania in google, …clicked pictures…and what do you know? the 4th image is this one…thank you very much….my friends really have a good impression now about my dear country…can you please delete the photo?…I don’t think you have the right to let the photo here…he is minor and in plus as the others said, he is Gypsy, and now we are in UE and things will get better and better…but thanks for “worrying” about us, it’s good to know that u “care”….I think everyone should see about their country first….
P.S. suggestion: DELETE THE PHOTO…I HAD ENOUGH OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE NO BETTER THINGS TO DO THAN TO CRITICIZE ROMANIA….a lovely country with good people…we don’t deserve this
January 23rd, 2008 at 7:40 am
People say so many thngs about America. How we hate blacks in our country, how we hate other countries. But I plan to leave this up forever, just to show everyone that it isn’t only Americans that are supposedly racist.
Every person that visits, please look at each comment in this section that says…”It’s only a gypsy” or “A gypsy is dirty” and that kind of comment.
Any country that the residents talk such hatred mongering speech should not have been allowed into the UE. Perhaps one of the governing bodies will see this thread and see just how racist these romanians, YES, I left that without a capital letter on purpose, because you people talking about other humans as if they are trash deserve no capitilazation.
Pathetic.
January 25th, 2008 at 4:04 pm
Dear Julie Fletcher, you just don’t understand, do you?! Romanians are not responsible for the actions of minorities who do not WANT to integrate into the Romanian society. They don’t want to be Romanian citizens. They have laws of their own and do not accept ours. Gypsies have their own Justice system. Just study more, dear Julie! Why should we, white European Romanians, clean the garbage after black Asians? Black Asians are not representative for Romania. WHY do you insist they are??? You just don’t understand Romania cannot operate under the laws of a multiracial society. You just don’t understand Gypsies are an alien nomad people that just happened to be trapped in Romania because of the Iron Curtain. Now, they are leaving Romania for the more developed EU countries. And now, the citizens of those countries, terrorized by the Gypsies, try to say they are Romanians so that we keep them in Romania: “Keep the garbage in the garbage can!”. What a big hypocrisy! We have Gypsies in Romania just because we were so tolerant with them when they faced massacres in the West. Now, the Gypsies are just returning where they were supposed to be in the first place. We had the same problem with the Jews in the nineteenth century (we offered them shelter when they faced terror in Russia, Austria-Hungary and Turkey). The Jews left for Israel. The Gypsies now leave for Western Europe. Soon, they will cease to be a problem for the Romanians, just like the Jews.
January 25th, 2008 at 11:12 pm
And another observation (and history lesson): we, Daco-Romanians, are a peaceful people. We have been living in our land for thousands of years without attacking or trying to conquer our neighbours. We didn’t kill or enslave blacks, asians, indians etc. like you, Americans, did. We remained a nation through the ages, in spite of the Mongols/Tatars, Turks, Hungarians, Austrians, Russians or Jews (the Jews tried to make our Moldova their Israel with western help in the nineteenth century, after we received them as refugees). If you think we, Romanians, are going to give the Gypsies the red carpet treatment because Julie Fletcher says so, and encourage 2.5 million black Asians stay in Romania as part of our proud Dacian-Latin nation, you are crazy. The Gypsies from Romania stayed long enough, like the Jews. And now, just like the Jews, they must move on. Let others offer them shelter as we did for so long. Maybe USA can offer them citizenship.
January 26th, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Peter, I know exactly who Gypsies are. I wrote an artice on the racism towards them not long ago.
I think people who have a hate for any other people based on race are stupid.
Not cruel. Not evil. Just mentally incapable of having intelligent conversation. Rascists, no matter WHAT nationality should be charged for the oxygen they take from the rest of us who have an intellect above ameoba.
Racist are mental rejects, small minded, and pathetic excuses for humans. They should be sterilized and not allowed to breed. ALL racists.
January 26th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Well, Julie, I am not a racist. I am just a Romanian tired of that part of western media which tries to present Gypsies either as victims of the bad Romanians or as being Romanians themselves. Gypsies are NOT Romanians and Gypsies are not victims. We all had a very very veeeeeeeery hard life in Romania with the Communism and all. Well, 95%, not all, to be really fair. Back then, as it is now, only the Gypsies stole (from Romanians or other Gypsies), in spite of the fact that EVERYBODY was HUNGRY (NOT an exaggeration, I was hungry too). We, the Romanians, were the victims. As we, the Romanians, were the victims of the Jews in the nineteenth century in Moldova. For us, Romanians, all these articles in western media are déjà vu. These articles are only written on the principle “Keep the garbage in the garbage can.” You don’t want them to steal in your countries, so you compel us to treat them as Romanians, to take care of them as they were Romanians. Not because you care but because you don’t want them to do what they are doing in Romania (beg/steal/rob/kill). If a white American can accept a black American as being part of the great American nation, a white Romanian will NEVER accept a Gypsy is part of the Romanian nation. We accept Hungarians, they fought with us against the Turks. We accept the Poles for the same reason. We even tolerate Russians (not gladly and not all of us) because Russians are Slavs and we have a little bit of Slav blood ourselves. We really love the French, they are the only real friends of Romania, they always defended us against our enemies. We put the Gypsies on the same level with the Turks and Jews, we suffered greatly because of them. They are not European, they have moral values we cannot and want not to understand. They are evil. Turkey will NEVER be part of EU. Or they will be but not in a EU with France and Romania. But back to Gypsies: they are nomad, they are not white, they are not European. We think Gypsies should be EU’s and USA’s burden, not Romania’s. We, Romanians, think Gypsies should be encouraged to find a home anywhere in the EU and USA. Western media should say “Every western country must welcome the Gypsies!” not “Romanians, keep your effing Gypsies home and take better care of them so they don’t come in the West!”. // I’m very sorry for my bad English, my French is far better.
January 26th, 2008 at 4:46 pm
Oh, and because I said I’m not a racist, I should say what I am. I am a man who wants to live in a country with no more than one race. White race. And, because Romania is not located in Africa, Americas, Asia, Australia etc., I thinks that’s OK. It’s not OK to want that in the USA, because USA was stolen from the Indians (native Americans). Apartheid in South Africa is an immense hypocrisy. Although the whites have the right to be APART from the blacks, it’s not cool to want that on African soil, it’s just wrong and incredibly unjust. As Romanians have never built their prosperity on slaves of other races brought by force to be exploited on a land that didn’t belong to them in the first place, I ask you, Julie, to respond WHY do you forbid ME to have my way on the land of my people? Who is giving you that right?
January 26th, 2008 at 5:10 pm
Oh, God, Julie, MY BAD, I was so absorbed in trying to write my thoughts that I missed the most important thing: your posted on October 24th, 2007 at 8:16 am “I am not a Christian”. So you are probably Jewish. That explains everything. Jews hate Romanians for our part in the Holocaust. If I were Jewish, I’d try everything to destroy those pesky Romanians in the media, too. That’s cool, Romanians understand Jews. We had millions of them.
January 26th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
Peter, I am not Christian, Jewish, or any other religion. I dislike organized religion as much as I dislike racism.
I don’t forbid anyone to do anything. I despise racism because of the fact that I am, by heritage Scottish, Native American, and Black. So, I am a mix of quite a bit of what racist folks here in my own country hate.
I am NOT condemning Romainians on a grand scale. I am condemning the mindset that one nationality or race is better than the other. My view on speech that sounds/looks racist will not change. It is small minded and stupid on the highest level.
Do you feel insulted by my remarks to racists? If so, then perhaps you should rethink your views on races. Condemn actions, not races, then you have begun to think on the same page as I do.
I did not write the original article. I only respond to comments that seem to point to me as the original author and insult me for keeping the image on the blog. I do not OWN this blog. I am employed to write here, but I will voice my opinion just as much as you will.
I have not deleted your comments in defense of your country, nor will I. The only comments I have deleted were very abusive with much cursing and a few that were written by one of the original posters who I spoke with via email. If you would like to further this conversation, by all means, feel free to do so. My email address is listed on my profile.
January 26th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
Scottish, Native American AND Black?! Wow, that’s really… REALLY interesting. It’s no wonder you hate racism. Well, I think you can consider me racist because I want whites to have the right to live apart from people of color. BUT, and that’s a big BUT, I consider that whites only have that right in Europe, moreover only in SOME countries of Europe. Anywhere else it’s wrong and those who do should be… shot. The former colonial powers of Europe and Russia must accept people of color because they used them in their development. ROMANIA and a few more little countries HAVE NO GUILT and therefore should have the right to reject people of color if they disturb our society. And they DO disturb it. They are the residual problems of colonialism and a legacy of wars fought by the big countries/empires. We have the right to reject those residual problems and ask those responsible (NOT us) to deal with them. I.e. the Gypsies now and the Jews in Romanian Moldova in the nineteenth century. I am very curious, do you still consider me racist after these explanations? P.S. A Romanian emigrated in USA should not open his mouth to speak against the colored people in USA and has no right to ask to live apart from them (at work, schools etc.). But a Romanian in Romania should have that right.
January 26th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Addition: But a Romanian in Romania should have that right and Jon Henshaw or Julie Fletcher should not open the mouth to criticize Romania for the way Romania handles the RESIDUAL Gypsy problem. Anyway, Gypsies in Romania are becoming a thing of the past.
They beg, steal, rob and kill in the western part of the EU now and almost every Westerner thinks they are actually Romanians, not Gypsies. That’s really funny. Most Westerners are soooooo ignorant about Central-Eastern Europe… 
They practically know NOTHING about us.
January 26th, 2008 at 11:27 pm
Yep. I still think you’re a racist.
I am learning more and more about your culture. The more I read this type of ‘explanation’ the happier I am to be an ‘ignorant’ Westerner.
It has been said before…and I will say it here. Talk all the junk you want about Americans, say we are ignorant, stupid, and what have you, but you know, when countries ask us for help, we’re always there. And don’t count what Bush did, I’m talking about other instances. I’m sure you have been a part of those types of peace missions. Giving away food to those who are hungry. Clothing people who needed it. Boxing up items for people in another country that you never met and never will, just because it was the human thing to do, no matter what their color.
Oh. Wait. You don’t care about anyone but whites.
Sad.
I’m done with this. This post and the comments do nothing but spread sickness. This thing is getting locked down.