Hungary Children in state institutions report starvation

April 18, 2008

Comment: The Hungarian daily “Nepszabadsag” chose a sensational title to report about the national children’s parliamentary session, during which chid participants living in orphanages complained that they did not receive adequate portions of meals and that they had to buy toiletries from their pocket money because they were not provided with those. They also complained of having their brothers and sisters taken to institutions in the other end of the country or being offered to adoption abroad.

Young representatives suggested that children should be entitled to the same per capita support, no matter which insitution they live in. Currently the largest differences exist in the amount spent on meals which can wary btween HUF 400/day (Euro 1,6) and HUF 800/day (Euro 3,20) and the amount spent on clothing (ranging between Euro 40 and 320). According to Miklos Radoszav, head of a Buapest-based child-protection service said that it may need a tragedy to make local governments change the situation of the 17,000 children living in state care.

The Children’s Parliament held every year is the best tool kids have to have their voices heard and express their concerns about the care they receive. Regional differences in state care is due to the fact that orphanages are under the jurisdiction of local governments and they finance them based on their own economic and financial situations, resulting in lare differences among the different institutions. However, the article also highlights a larger problem, that still 17’000 children live in bigger state orphanages, whereas government made a committment to provide familiy-size environments for all children in state care.

For the full text in Hungarian please click here

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