The campaign

There are some 52 social care institutions in Bulgaria for men and women with mental disabilities. Scattered throughout the country, usually in small towns and villages, they remain far from the eyes and mind of society and its instutitutions.

The men and women in these institutions often find themselves abandoned by family and friends who can no longer or simply are not willing to look after them. Others have come here at the age of 18 after having spent their childhood in a similar institution for disabled children. The chance of their leaving the institutions before their death is negligibly low.

The campaign to improve social care services in Bulgaria was launched in October 2001. This is when we visited several social care institutions together with colleagues from Amnesty International and Mental Disability Rights International. The shocking things that we saw then and in the months that followed were described by Amnesty International in the report "Bulgaria: Far from the eyes of society. Systematic discrimination against people with mental disabilities". After the launch of the campaign, the Bulgarian authorities decided to close down the institution in Sanadinovo, notorious for its cage for human beings in the yard, and announced its plans to close down the institution in Dragash Vojvoda, where 22 men - or a striking 15% of the resident population - had died over a 15 month period (January 2001- March 2002).

This campaign is carried out together with Amnesty International and Mental Disability Rights International.

What we know about the social care institutions

In the course of the last year we visited over 25 social care institutions. In some of them, where the situation was alarming, we made 3-4 visits. If you'd like to see what life in such a place can be like, you can read our reports from these institutions with photo illustrations.

You can also read some information from the local and international press on these issues:

Mental health travesty in Bulgaria, Karen Allen, BBC World, 16 December 2002

Bulgaria: Far from the eyes of society. Systematic discrimination of people with mental disabilities, Amnesty International, October 2002

Dragash Vojvoda social home to be closed down by December 2002, MLSP press centre, August 2002

Sanadinovo residents to be moved by July 2002, MLSP press centre, 18 May 2002

Joint task force to decide future of Sanadinovo social home, MLSP press centre, 30 April 2002

Sanadinovo: This is a truly ghastly place, Amnesty International, April 2002

The homes for the mentally ill - poverty, cages and chains, Antoaneta Nenkova, Slavka Kukova, BHC in Sega daily, February 2002

Serious abuses in Bulgarian psychiatric hospitals, Antoaneta Nenkova, BHC on DW radio, January 2002

Pictures from Bulgaria, December 2001, Allegra magazine, Germany

Sanadinovo: the Bulgarian island of Leros, Antoaneta Nenkova in Capital weekly

54 deaths in a single social home in one year, December 2001, Slavka Kukova, BHC

Bulgaria: Human rights of persons with intellectual disability, Inclusion Europe

You can help

Your help is essential. Please, send letters to the government authorities voicing your concern about the conditions in the social care institutions in Bulgaria at the addresses below:

Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg-Gotha
Council of Ministers
1 Dondukov Blvd
1194 Sofia, Bulgaria
fax: +3592.981 8170
Salutation: Dear Prime Minister

Minister of Labour and Social Policy Christina Christova
2 Triaditsa Street
1051 Sofia, Bulgaria
fax: +3592 986 1318, +3592 981 9172
email: mlsp@mlsp.government.bg, inter.coop@mlsp.government.bg
Salutation: Dear Minister

Minister of Healthcare Slavcho Bogoev
5 Sveta Nedelya Square
1000 Sofia, Bulsgaria
tel./fax: +3592 981 0627, +3592 981 1833
email: press@mh.government.bg
Salutation: Dear Minister

Prosecutor General Nikola Filchev
2 Vitosha Blvd
1000 Sofia, Bulgaria
fax: +3592 989 0110
Salutation: Dear Prosecutor General

Donate

If you would like to make a donation to a social care institution, you can do that on the bank account listed below. We will get in touch with you to tell you where the money was sent.

Account no. 140 508 68 05 in Euro (from Europe)
Account no. 110 508 68 10 in USD
Bulbank, 7 Sveta Nedelya Square
Bank code: 62176307 SWIFT: BFTBBGSF
Please, make sure you state that the transfer is a donation for the social care institutions!

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