BBC exposes Bulgarian baby trade

[demoleft]

Source: BBC

Babies are being illegally offered for sale in Bulgaria with the promise of smuggling them abroad, an undercover BBC News team has discovered.
A self-confessed human trafficker in the resort city of Varna showed off toddlers with a selling price of 60,000 euros (£40,000) each.
After being alerted by the BBC, the Bulgarian authorities passed the details of the BBC investigation to social services and police in Varna.
The criminal gang involved is now under surveillance.



Read more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6917308.stm

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No comment.

[YOY]

1. Known about it for quite some time

Mostly Roma (Gypsy) Bulgarian babies are involved. The story makes it sound as though Bulgarian Bulgarians (or possibly Turkish Bulgarians) are doing this. As most Bulgarians have 1-2 kids and higher levels of education than the global average they would never think of doing this. Roma tend to have quite a few. (Not being racist, this is just how it is...)

Seen it firsthand, but that's the Roma. They live by thier own rules. This BBC Story explains the situation better: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/5191514.stm

[demoleft]

2. You're right.

It's an update indeed.
You know what surprises me?
The BBC link on the subject is the only one on Google.
I controlled on savethechildren.org but found nothing.

Perhaps I'm not searching well.

[YOY]

3. If there's one thing I know. It's Bulgaria

:evilgrin:

Beautiful country. Wonderful people. Many problems.

If you want some 411 on it just let me know. I've seen and been part of a few programs including one to prevent young girls from getting duped into becoming sex slaves...the con artists who dupe them into this are the scum of the earth.

For a more interesting view into the Roma people of the Balkans themselves, there is no better and more entertaining way to understand them then the films of Emir Kusturica (A Bosnian Muslim.)

Check out this movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097223/ The human trafficking issue is in there as well as children recruited to beg on the streets. The hero of the story Perhan is one of my favorite film characters. The soundtrack is gorgeous too!

[demoleft]

4. Thank you n/t

[nealmhughes]

5. That was what I thought when I first read this, but didn't want to post that. . .since it

was a mere gut feeling. I could not imagine Bulgarians selling their kids! But the second class semi-citizens, i.e., Turkish and Roma Bulgarians, I could, since they have been largely excluded from Bulgarian life since the victory of the Bulgarians in the last Ottoman Wars.

I know that when the Romanians invaded northern Bulgaria in 1912, they did not want to go back to Romania, they thought they had found a peasants' paradise! Crown Prince Ferdinand had more trouble with them deserting than he did with them fighting!

I think we need to recall that Bulgaria is part of the EU now, and so has Interpol at its disposal.

[YOY]

6. Even the Turks wouldn't do this

Family is very important and they are not completely discriminated against. The BCP, or Turkish party, has a significant control of a small portion of the Parliament adn a small number of provinces that have been historically mixed (I can think of 2 that come to mind). After Todor Zivkov's attempted purge of them in the 80s little has been done against the Turks directly.

The Roma have ben screwed (and have screwed themselves) for well over 1000 years.

The EU has them on probationary status. They may need to overcome this to become members.