Why Romania?

Background and current crisis

Recommended reading

Romania internet resources

Background and current crisis: 

The images of 1989 are still with us. After the fall of the Ceausescu regime, the truth about Romania was exposed. The experiment to create a great Romanian state had gone horribly awry. The decree that each woman must have a least five children or face stringent fines had created an entire subculture of lost children. Unable to provide proper care for their children and convinced by the State that institutionalized care would be best, desperate parents placed tens of thousands of children into orphanages.¹

Throughout the 1990’s, various attempts have been made at reforming the inefficient and corrupt Romanian child welfare system. Each effort accompanied promises about the changes that would follow. Each time, very little changed. Currently, anywhere from 90,000-110,000 children still live in orphanages, both privately and publicly run (AP, 2000, ¶ 2 ). Although an exact figure is in dispute, there is general agreement that the numbers are basically the same as in 1989 (Financial Times, 2000, ¶ 5). After 12 years of effort, and hundreds of millions of dollars spent, the same number of children are languishing in institutions in 2001 as in 1989.¹

Concurrent to the government struggling to create adequate standards for thousands of children in institutions, the Romanian nation began to look west rather than east for a future (Anderson, Wiessala, & Williams, 2000, p.239). Knowledgeable of the huge potential Western Europe offered for economic growth, and determined to “return to Europe”, the Romanian government began to seriously advocate for eventual membership into the European Union (EU). Acceptance by the European super state would signify a complete break from the past (Strategy Paper 2000, p.2).¹

From the start, the EU pressured Romania to make changes in the child welfare system, bringing standards in line with that of Western Europe. After several failed reform efforts, by 1997 the Romanian government was prepared to try again.  As part of the 1997 reform effort, the system of adoption was reorganized. International adoption had become a source of hard currency, and national leaders were aware that this source of income was being lost through corruption.  By 2000 however, the new system was obviously as corrupt as the old.  Desperate parents would pay thousands of dollars, which went into the pockets of officials.¹

In February of 2000, the Romanian government released a long-term governing program, which included objectives for a reformed child welfare system. The Government Strategy Concerning the Protection of the Child in Difficulty was completed and approved in May of 2001. By this time, Romania was also working harder at European integration and pressing for a firm commitment by the EU for a membership date.¹

Stung by the European Committee’s statement that Romania was the furthest from membership of the 12 candidate countries, the government in Bucharest was determined to create a new child welfare system palatable to the EU, one which would not hinder membership talks.¹

In June of 2001, the Romanian government also placed a moratorium on international adoption  . . .  the ban will remain in place until the system can be sufficiently reformed. By this time aware of the precarious state regarding EU membership negotiations and desperate to improve the situation, Romania has allowed . . . the EU to gain a great deal of influence over domestic child welfare policy (Anderson, Wiessala, & Williams, 2000, p.232).¹

In recognition that in addition to the thousands of children in orphanages, the term “child in difficulty” includes children in families at risk, children with special needs, street children, and children with behavioral and emotional problems, the national strategy attempts to be an all-inclusive document to provide structure for all child welfare services.¹

In the midst of the debate about child welfare reform and the future of Romania, a third issue comes into play. Economically, Romania is struggling to emerge from recession. After 3 years of contraction, in 2000 Romania finally experienced a small rate of growth of 1.6%. According to the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development, the projected rate of growth for 2001 is 4.1%. With Romania’s main trading partners, the US and the EU, entering recessionary conditions, the forecast could prove overly optimistic. In 2000, the EBRD estimated almost 45% of the population to be living below the poverty line. This is of particular importance, considering the number one reason children are abandoned by their family is poverty. Unemployment continues to hover around 10% and inflation continues to remain high, estimated to be at 35% for 2001. As late as the 29th of November, Romania was experiencing social unrest due to continue economic difficulty, as 10,000 workers marched through the streets of Bucharest protesting poverty, low wages and official corruption. (AP, 2001, ¶ 1)¹

Poverty is the primary reason parents abandon their children in Romania. According to the World Bank, the average salary is slightly over US$100 a month, and annual inflation remains high. In post-1989 Romania, living standards dropped in real terms by up to one-third in the early 1990s (White, Batt & Lewis, 1998. p.226). Economic development is a necessary additive for change in the child welfare system. As noted in the goal, the development of social welfare services is necessary to prevent of high levels of institutionalization of children by their parents suffering the effects of poverty. In western countries, social welfare services are a commonly accepted government benefit (Roberts & Springer, 2001, 11). Social welfare in Romania almost disappeared after 1989, and the assistance currently available is insufficient.¹

In Romania, a result of years of chaos, there is a general lack of trust in the officials and institutions of democracy, and the increasing sentiment that while Communism was defective, social services were operated better than currently (Miller, White & Heywood,1998, p.100). The new democratic institutions are difficult to understand after years of authoritarian rule, and a fear of disorder has created some nostalgia for the past. Further hindering the reform efforts is the deep rooted poverty in rural villages and the surrounding countryside, where populations are generally less receptive to change. (p. 262). Successful democratization is unlikely to take place in the absence of a political culture which is supportive of democratic reforms. Democratic reforms and the acceptance of the vital roles citizens play in a democracy are slowly taking root, with success in rural areas lagging behind that in urban centers (p.262).¹

Much of the success of the National Strategy relies on outside factors. In a sense, it is part of an entire reform package, a monumental effort by the Romanian government and people to once and for all shake off the efforts of the past and regain a place in Europe. Success has been is apparent in some areas, but nowhere near the level of neighboring countries such as Hungary and the Czech Republic.¹

The faith of the Romanian people in government remains low. Recent protests in Bucharest attracted thousands of workers, demanding greater reform and openness within the political process. For the strategy to succeed, citizens must regain some level of faith in government. The reform effort depends on the involvement of thousands of individuals, including orphanage workers, families, NGOs, and others in community-based efforts. Without an understanding of and investment in the process, the outlook for success is dim. The government’s plan lacks more specific mechanisms on how citizens will become involved in the process. The National Strategy also lacks certain implementation and enforcement mechanisms, regarding the decentralization of responsibility.¹

The continuing corruption intrinsic in Romanian administration also needs to be addressed for the successful conclusion of the reform effort. A 2001 study conducted by Transparency International gave Romania a ranking of 2.8, with a 10 indicating a fully transparent government The highest ranked country, Finland, was awarded a 9.9, the U.S. a 7.6. Guatemala, the Philippines, Senegal and Zimbabwe all ranked above Romania. A recent World Bank survey found two-thirds of Romanians believe “all” or “most” officials are corrupt, and many also believe corruption has achieved a state of normalcy. Forty-two percent of the respondents stated they had personally encountered bribery in the last 12 months (Global Corruption 2001). According to Transparency International, President Iliescu has yet to demonstrate any anti-corruption resolve and the return to power of an ex-communist leader under whom corruption had earlier flourished may prevent Romania from pulling itself out of poverty and joining the EU.¹

The quality of health care has declined drastically in Romania since the Revolution, and without strong prenatal and child health care, a reform program on child welfare cannot succeed. The national strategy does not address the issue of health care reform and how it impacts the overall situation of child welfare, which is a serious oversight. According to the World Health Organization, 4.1% of the Romanian GDP, one of the lowest in Europe, is spent on public and private health care. This compares to 13% in the United States and 10.6% in Germany. Tuberculosis had made a dramatic reoccurrence in Romania, affecting 121 persons per 100,000, comparing to 7 per 100.000 in the U.S. (World Health Report 2001). The return of TB, called the “poor man’s disease”, is indicative of the plunge in social and economic conditions.¹

Education reform must also be addressed to improve the overall welfare of children. Lack of economic development has meant a decline in the level of funding provided by the government. The quality of education has suffered dramatically as a result. Old books, leaky ceilings, drafty classrooms, and falling academic standards have been the results. Institutionalized children have poorer access to health and educational services than the general population, leaving them woefully unprepared for an eventually integration into society once the age of majority has been reached.¹

[top]

Recommended Reading  

• Romania: The Entangled Revolution (The Washington Papers)  by Nestor Ratesh, et al.

• In the Eye of the Romanian Storm: The Heroic Story of Pastor Laszlo Tokes  by Felix Corley,et al.

• Red Horizons: The True Story of Nicolae and Elena Ceausescus' Crimes, Lifestyle, and Corruption  by Lt. Gen Ion Mihai Pacepa, former head of Romanian Intelligence.

• Post-Communist Romania: Coming to Terms With Transition by Duncan Light (Editor), David Phinnemore (Editor)

• Romania: The Unfinished Revolution (Postcommunist States and Nations) by Steven D. Roper
• Children of Ceausescu by Kent Klich (Photographer), Heuta Muller.

[top]

Romania Internet Resources 

• Culture.ro - Romanian Cultural Resources.
• Kappa.ro - Romanian Internet portal.
• RoTravel.com - Romanian travel guide.
• Major-Companies.ro  - Index of international corporations with operations in Romania.

 [top]

Footnotes:

1. Matschullat, Beth M., Government Strategy Concerning the Protection of the Child in Difficulty Romania’s New Child Welfare Reform Effort: Will It Make A Difference?; Factbook 2000; (http://www.factbook.net/countryreports/ro/Child_protection.htm)

The following references are referenced parenthetically in the sections quoted from this source:

Anderson, Peter J., Wiessala, Georg, & Williams, Christopher. (Eds.). (2000). New Europe in Transition. New York: Continuum.

Baun, Michael J. (2000). A Wider Europe. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.

Cabinet of the Prime Minister. (2001, July 13). Child Protection. Retrieved November 24, 2001 from http://www.gov.ro/engleza/presa/rapoarte/200107/act-010713-reforma-protcopii.htm.

Chirac, Marian. (2001). Deadlocked Romania. Current History. 100(644). 124-128.

Department for Institutional and Social Analysis. (2001, June 26). The Future European Union. Retrieved December 2, 2001 from http:// www.gov.ro/engleza/presa/comunicate/200106/com-010626-romvision.htm.

Didn’t We Feel Good About Rescuing Poor Little Mihaela? (2001, September 14). Belfast News Letter. Retrieved October 8, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

EU Delegates Say Romanian Officials Have Stolen Children’s Aid. (2000, June 14). Agence France Presse. Retrieved October 24, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

EU Project Launched to Finance Care for Children in Romania. (2001 August 13). BBC. Retrieved October 8, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

EU Recommends Stepping Up of Reforms. (2001, November 9). Romanian Business Journal. Retrieved October 30, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

EU/Romania: Boost to Efforts to Improve Child Protection. (2001, July 25). Europe Information Service. Retrieved October 8, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

EU/Romania: Familiar Litany at Joint Parliamentary Committee. (2000, June 1). Europe Information Service. Retrieved October 24, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. (2001). Romania: Investment Profile 2001. Retrieved from http://www.ebrd.org/english/public/index.htm.
European Commission Launches Child Protection Programme in Romania. (2001, December 19). BBC. Retrieved October 30, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

European Parliament Envoy Praises New Romanian Cabinet’s Record on Child Protection. (2001, June 15). BBC. Retrieved October 8, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

European Parliament Rapporteur Asks Romanian to Improve Child Protection. (2000, November 6). BBC. Retrieved October 30, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

European Union. (n.d.). Strategy Paper 2000. Retrieved November 2, 2001, from http://europe.eu.int/comm/enlargement/report_11_00/pdf/strat_en.pdf

European Union. (n.d.). Strategy Paper 2001. Retrieved December 1, 2001, from http://europa.eu.int/comm/enlargement/report2001/index.htm#Strategy%20Paper%212001

Government of Romania: National Authority for the Protection of the Child and Adoption. (May 2001). Government Strategy Concerning the Protection of The Child in Difficulty.

Grabbe, Heather, & Hughes, Kirsty. (1998). Enlarging the EU Eastwards. London: Chatham House.

Groza, Victor. (2000). U.S. Policy Promotes Institutionalization of Children in Romania. Retrieved December 2, 2001 from http://www.cwru.edu/ 2465208/pubaff/univcomm/romania.htm.

Haddock, Bruce, & Caraiani, Ovidiu. (1999). National & Civil Society in Romania. Political Studies XLVII(2). 258-274.

Jordan, Peter. (2001). Regional Identities and Regionalization in East-Central Europe. Post-Soviet Geography and Economics, 42(4), 235-265.

Kaldor, Mary, & Vejvoda, Ivan. (Eds.). (1999). Democratization in Central & Eastern Europe. New York: Pinter.

Miller, William L., White, Stephen, & Heywood, Paul. (1998). Values and Political Change in Postcommunist Europe. New York: St. Martin’s Press, Inc.

Nastase, Adrian. (2001, November 13). Statement by Mr Adrian Nastase on the 2001 Report on Romania’s Progress towards EU Accession. Retrieved December 9, 2001 from http://www.gov.ro/engleza.presa/dicursuri/200111/dis-011113-an-raptara.htm.

Nastase, Adrian (2001, November 6). Address by Mr Adrian Nastase at CBI’s National Conference in Birmingham. Retrieved November 24, 2001, from http://www.gov.ro/engleza/index/html.

National Authority for Child Protection is Created. (2001, February 22). Romanian Business Journal. Retrieved October 30, 2001, from Lexis-Nexis.

Partners in Transition II. (2001, September). The Poor and Disenfranchised-Broadening the Benefits of Transition Reform. Paper presented at the 2001 Europe and Eurasia Regional Conference. Retrieved 24 November, 2001 from http://www.inform.umd.edu/EdRes/Colleges/BSOS/Depts/IRISIRIS/docs/14_Romania.pdf

Pasti, Vladimir. (1997). The Challenges of Transition. (Fraga Cheva Cusin, Trans.). Boulder, CO: East European Monographs.

Pridham, Geoffrey, & Lewis, Paul G.(Eds.). (1996). Stabilising Fragile Democracies. New York: Routledge.

Pujas, Veronique, & Rhodes, Martin. (1999). A Clash of Cultures? Corruption and the Ethics of Administration in Western Europe. Parliamentary Affairs, 52(4), 688-702.

Roberts, Ivor, & Springer, Beverly. (2001). Social Policy in the European Union: Between Harmonization and National Autonomy. Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.

Romania Factbook 2000. (n.d.) Retrieved October 20, 2001, from http://www.factbook.net/

Romania Struggles to Remove Stain by Finding Homes for Abandoned Kids. (2001, February 12). AP. Retrieved October 30, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

Romania Urges to Deal with Unwanted Babies, (2001, May 30). The Financial Times. Retrieved October 30, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

Romanian Government Adopts Child Protection Measures. (2000, May 12). BBC. Retrieved October 24, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

Romanian Government Adopts Child Protection Programme. (2001 June 22). BBC. Retrieved October 8, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

Romanian Government Reinstates Moratorium on Child Adoptions By Foreigners. (2001 October 9). BBC. Retrieved October 22, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

Romanian Presidential Contender Promises to Reform Child Welfare if He Wins. (2000, November 5). AP. Retrieved October 30, 2001, from Lexis-Nexis.

Romania’s Leaders to Open Conference on Children’s Rights. (2001, August 30). Rompres. Retrieved October 8, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

Schulz, Heiner, & Konig, Thomas. (2000). Institutional Reform and Decision-Making in the European Union. American Journal of Public Science, 44(4) 653-665.

Tomlin, Janice. (Producer). (2001, June 8). 20/20. New York: ABC.

Transparency International (2001). Global Corruption 2001. Retrieved http://www.globalcorruptionreport.org/.

UNICEF. (2001, November 29). A Decade of Transition. Retrieved November 30, 2001, from http://www.uniceficdc.org/presscentre/presskit/monee8/monee8_pr.pdf

United States Embassy, Consular Section, Bucharest, Romania. (n.d.). Adoptions. Retrieved December 2. 2001, from http://www.usembassy.roConsolar-Section/Adoptions.html.

USAID. (2001). Romania. Retrieve November 24, 2001, from http://www.usaid.Gov/pubs/cp2000/eni/Romania.html.

When Is Miheala Coming Home? (2001, September 15). The Financial Times. Retrieved October 8, 2001 from Lexis-Nexis.

World Bank. (2001, March 9). Diagnostic Survey of Corruption in Romania. Retrieved December 2, 2001, from http://www.transparency.re/0-WB-Corruption-RO.pdf.

World Bank. (2001). Romania: Country Brief. [Data file]. Available from World Bank Web site, http://www.worldbank.org.