In Greece, people with disabilities are often heavily stigmatized. The BBC has gained access to one state-run care home where some disabled children are spending their lives behind bars.
In a dayroom around fifteen adults and children with learing disabilities, most of whom have been abandoned just sit around rocking and staring at the walls. There is no one to engage with them. The only member of staff sits in the doorway looking bored, more of a guard than a carer. So we are on the top floor of the care home and in all the rooms are cages.
The director of the center asked the nurse to unlock one of the cage doors. One of the girls who looks far younger than her nine years jumped out. I‘m told she‘s been living in this cage since she was two. If you have more staff, would you need to keep the patients in these kind of caged beds? It is beyond discussion that we shouldn‘t have these kinds of bed. If we have more dedicated staff focus on the care of individual children, we could offer far more to these children. There are just two members of the staff on each floor housing around 25 children.
This is one of the best institutions in Greece. We have very challenge cases. And I believe it functions extremely well and a proof of this is that many patients have outlived their average life expectancy. The government promised change but four years on the only change I can see is lick of paint on the wooden bars to make the cages look more cheerful. The only time anything is likely to change for these children is when they die. That‘s a harsh thing to say of but is the truth. I feel rage, indignation and fear when I see children in cages. As a parent of a child with down syndrome, I have no idea what might become of my son when I‘m no longer around. No, I don‘t want to visit that place again. I don‘t want to go there. All care for disabled people in Greece have recently been transferred from the Ministry of Health to the Ministry of Laboring and Social Welfare. I asked the general secretary for welfare when these children would be given proper care. I can‘t give you an exact time for when those children will be transferred out of that institution. But we are in the process of discussing the subject at the Ministry. As for lack of staffing, this country is going through the worst economic crisis since the Second World War.
stigmatize [‘st?ɡm?ta?z] vt. 污蔑，玷污
state-run adj. 国有的，公立的
care home 疗养院
dayroom 休息室；娱乐室
engage with sb. 与...交谈，接触
indignation 愤慨，义愤填膺
down syndrome /don syndrome 唐氏综合症
Ministry of Laboring 劳动部门
social welfare 社会福利
staffing n. 人事，人员配置