MEP DELIGHTED AT CLOSURE OF BULGARIAN TV HORROR ORPHANAGE

7.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 8th Oct 2007

Liz Lynne MEP today expressed delight at the closure of a Bulgarian care home featured in the BBC documentary "Bulgaria's Abandoned Children" shown yesterday on BBC2.

Following on from the first screening of this documentary, Liz Lynne MEP contacted her Bulgarian MEP colleagues to seek their help in closing this home which has now happened. The children shown are being moved to a new building and cared for by a team of volunteers according to Liz's colleagues in the European Parliament.

Liz has long campaigned for the de-institutionalisation of all disabled people.

Speaking today from Brussels Liz said,

"Like many people, I was shocked and horrified by the images shown in this programme - in a modern European Union this cannot be allowed to happen.

"I am delighted that the Mogilino home has now been closed, but I will continue to work with my EU colleagues and to campaign on these issues, until we can be certain that no children are suffering in these conditions."

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The documentary followed the lives of 75 children in a care home in Mogilino, Bulgaria. One child had her thumb cut off, 'because she kept sucking it.' Many of the children are unable to speak, not necessarily because they are incapable, but because no-one has taught them to do so. All of them were malnourished, and many had broken bones.

Bulgaria has more institutionalised mentally and physically disabled children than anywhere else in Europe, and whilst efforts have been made to move away from institutionalisation, this program shows how far there is still to go.