Ms. Donka Sergeeva, Romani teenage female from the orphanage in Posabina village has left the orphanage and stayed with her uncle in Radanovo village. She decides to leave her uncle’s house and go to Germany to look for work. After a few months she came back in Bulgaria looking for help from her uncle as during her stay in Germany she get pregnant and shortly after coming in Radanovo village she had deliver a child. Her uncle, Mr. Akiff Mehmedov, is a long time unemployed Roma living with his spouse in a small house in poor sanitize conditions and can’t help her with the everyday necessities needed to look after her baby. Ms. Sergeeva applies her children to be admitted in a “Mother and Child” governmental shelter, where to have proper conditions to be looked after thus to have time to repair the house and create suitable conditions for the child. Bulgarian legislation, along with other measures, allows parents that can’t afford to look after their children to give it temporarily in specialized shelters without declining from their rights over the child. The local official from the social care agency to whom she have applied, Mrs. Poliksena Dobreva, refuses to consider her application and comment that “only Roma leave their children, thus Donka must look after her baby”. Mrs. Donka Sergeeva several times request meetings with the social worker Mrs. Dobreva and tried to explain her that staying in current living conditions in her uncle’ house creates a risk for her child because of the poor sanitation and lack of financial means to buy the everyday necessities for taking care for a baby. Mrs. Dobreva continues refusing to consider Mrs. Sergeeva’ application for her baby admission in a governmental shelter.
On 01.03.2008 Donka and her uncle approaches NGO “Roma - Together” with this case. Undertaking a visit to village of Radanovo poor living conditions completely unsuitable for a small baby to be raised in was discovered. Due to the resistance from the social worker Mrs. Dobreva to consider Ms. Sergeeva’ application for admitting her baby in a governmental shelter it was chosen an administrative litigation procedure to approach the case. Administrative appeal was submitted to the head of District Social Agency Department and to the State Agency “Child Care”. After the investigation on the case was concluded, Mrs. Sergeeva baby was admitted in the desired governmental shelter and the social worker Mrs. Poliksena Dobreva was dismissed from her position. After four months, Mrs. Donka Sergeeva has found a job that provides enough financial means to look after her child and successfully repair and refurbished her uncle’s house. She has taken her child from the governmental shelter and at present they are living together in Radanovo village.
You can use all published information on this web page free of rights for educational and other nonprofit purposes; however, you must quote the source and refer to this web page
