Orphans in Yekaterinburg Hospital
Orphaned children in Russia have long been mistreated.
Russians are "shocked" at gagged babies at a Yekaterinburg hospital. But mistreating children is nothing new in a Russia that cannot take care of homeless infants.
A BBC article reported at how "shocked" Russia was to hear of babies who were gagged to stop them from crying at one Yekaterinburg hospital. I'm not sure that "shocking" is the way to describe this situation. Russia and other Eastern European nations have long had poor accomodations to house motherless children and uninterested or unqualified staff members raising institutionalized orphans. This is all part and parcel to a widespread problem that is hardly getting any better.
What is upsetting is that it is only stories like the one at BBC that call to notice the conditions for Eastern Europe's orphans. Children without families often live in orphanages from shortly after birth until they are 18 years of age - and then they are sent out into society, unprepared, confused, and often emotionally and mentally (and sometimes physically) damaged from these fundamental years without love, necessary attention, and treatment as individuals with needs.
Anecdotal evidence tells of teenagers who don't know how to sweeten their tea because it was always done for them during their years in the orphanage. In addition, some babies don't know how to play, cry, or otherwise socialize because they are given attention only at meal times or when their diapers need changing.
Countries like Romania have banned international adoptions due to prescribed conditions for EU membership (fix this problem or say goodbye to consideration for the EU), but what happens to babies who can neither be adopted internationall or who are unwanted in their home countries? They are, of course, stuck in a system that makes only the rudimentary provisions for them and that sees them as a nuisance - to be ignored, hidden, or simply shut up.
