Georgette Mulheir: The tragedy of orphanages

翻译人员: zhuo cheng 校对人员: Peng Shao

Across Europe and Central Asia,

在欧洲及亚洲中部

approximately one million children live in large

大约有一百万的孩子住在大型的

residential institutions, usually known as orphanages.

住宿机构，也就是通常说的孤儿院

Most people imagine orphanages as a benign environment

在很多人的想象中，孤儿院是是一个拥有良好的环境

that care for children.

在照顾孩子们的地方

Others know more about the living conditions there,

而另一些人更了解哪儿住宿环境的人，

but still think they're a necessary evil.

认为那是一个十分邪恶的地方，但是不可缺少。

After all, where else would we put all of those children

毕竟，还有哪个地方我们能接纳许许多多的孩子，

who don't have any parents?

却连一个家长都没有呢？

But 60 years of research has demonstrated

但是60年来的调查已经表明

that separating children from their families

把孩子从他们的家庭中分离

and placing them in large institutions

并将他们送到大型机构

seriously harms their health and development,

会严重的损害孩子们的健康及成长，

and this is particularly true for young babies.

尤其是对那些小婴儿。

As we know, babies are born

众所周知，孩子们刚刚出生的时候

without their full muscle development,

肌肉还没有完全成长，

and that includes the brain.

大脑也没有发育成熟。

During the first three years of life, the brain grows

在刚出生的三年里，大脑逐渐成长

to its full size, with most of that growth taking place

直到成熟，而其中的大部分成长发生在

in the first six months. The brain develops

刚出生的六个月。大脑逐渐的成长

in response to experience and to stimulation.

并开始对各种经验及刺激产生反应。

Every time a young baby learns something new --

每当孩子们学到一些新的东西——

to focus its eyes,

用眼睛关注它，

to mimic a movement or a facial expression,

去模仿一个动作或者一个表情，

to pick something up, to form a word or to sit up --

起捡起某些东西，说话或是坐起——

new synaptic connections are being built in the brain.

大脑中就建立起了新的突触连接。

New parents are astonished by the rapidity of this learning.

新生儿的父母对孩子们快速的学习感到震惊。

They are quite rightly amazed and delighted by their children's cleverness.

他们对孩子们的聪明感到惊奇而愉悦。

They communicate their delight to their children,

他们将自己的快乐传递给孩子们，

who respond with smiles,

而孩子们则回报一微笑，

and a desire to achieve more and to learn more.

并且产生一种想要学会更多更多的渴望。

This forming of the powerful attachment between child and parent

这种父母子女之间的建立起的强大的联系

provides the building blocks for physical, social,

为身体的，社会的，语言的，认知的以及精神的成长

language, cognitive and psychomotor development.

添砖加瓦。

It is the model for all future relationships with friends,

也为未来的朋友关系，伙伴关系以及与他们自己的孩子

with partners and with their own children.

之间的关系建立的模型。

It happens so naturally in most families

这在许多的家庭中自然的发生

that we don't even notice it. Most of us are unaware

我们甚至都不会注意这些。我们中的许多人并没有意识到

of its importance to human development and, by extension,

这对人的成长，或者放大来说，

to the development of a healthy society.

对于一个健康的社会的发展是多么的重要。

And it's only when it goes wrong that we start to realize

只有当这些走上歧途时，我们才会发现

the importance of families to children.

家庭对于孩子们的重要性。

In August, 1993, I had my first opportunity to witness

在1993年的秋天，我有了第一个机会在较大尺度上亲眼目睹了

on a massive scale the impact on children

父母的缺失以及制度化

of institutionalization and the absence of parenting.

对于孩子们的影响。

Those of us who remember the newspaper reports

我们中或许还有人记得一则新闻

that came out of Romania after the 1989 revolution

关于1989年革命之后的罗马尼亚

will recall the horrors of the conditions in some of those institutions.

能想起一些关于这些机构的可怕情况。

I was asked to help the director of a large institution to

我被要求去帮助一个大型机构的主任

help prevent the separation of children from their families.

去帮助阻止孩子们离开他们的家庭。

Housing 550 babies, this was Ceausescu's show orphanage,

容纳了550个婴儿，那是Ceausescu的展示孤儿院，

and so I'd been told the conditions were much better.

因而我被告诉了说条件比其他的要好多了。

Having worked with lots of young children, I expected

和许多的小孩一起工作，我猜想

the institution to be a riot of noise,

机构里一定十分的嘈杂，

but it was as silent as a convent.

但实际上那里和修道院一样安静。

It was hard to believe there were any children there at all,

很难相信哪儿有孩子，

yet the director showed me into room after room,

主任带着我一间一间房间参观，

each containing row upon row of cots,

每间房间有成列的小床，

in each of which lay a child staring into space.

每张床上躺着一个望着天的小孩。

In a room of 40 newborns, not one of them was crying.

在一间有40个新生儿的房间里，没有孩子在哭。

Yet I could see soiled nappies, and I could see

我可以看见脏了的尿布，我可以看见

that some of the children were distressed,

有些孩子的痛苦，

but the only noise was a low, continuous moan.

但唯一的噪音是一种低沉的，持续不断的呻吟。

The head nurse told me proudly,

护士长十分骄傲的告诉我，

"You see, our children are very well-behaved."

“你看，我们的孩子们表现的非常好。”

Over the next few days, I began to realize

在接下来的几天里，我开始认识到

that this quietness was not exceptional.

这种安静并不是例外的。

The newly admitted babies would cry for the first few hours,

新来的孩子在最初的几个小时里也会哭泣，

but their demands were not met, and so eventually

但是他们的需求仍然没有达到，所以

they learned not to bother. Within a few days,

他们最终学会不在多此一举。在几天的时间里，

they were listless, lethargic, and staring into space

他们无精打采，毫无生气，对着天空发呆

like all the others.

就想其他的孩子一样。

Over the years, many people and news reports

一年又一年，许多的人和新闻

have blamed the personnel in the institutions

都指责机构里的工作人员

for the harm caused to the children, but often, one member

认为他们对孩子造成伤害，但是通常，一个

of staff is caring for 10, 20, and even 40 children.

工作人员需要照顾10,20甚至40个孩子。

Hence they have no option but to implement a regimented program.

因此他们别无选择只能采用这种制度化的管理方式。

The children must be woken at 7 and fed at 7:30.

孩子们必须7点起床，7:30喂食，

At 8, their nappies must be changed, so a staff member

8点，他们需要换尿布，因此，每个工作人员

may have only 30 minutes to feed 10 or 20 children.

可能只有30分钟去喂10到20个孩子。

If a child soils its nappy at 8:30, he will have to wait

如果孩子在8:30弄脏了他的尿布，他必须等上

several hours before it can be changed again.

好几个小时才能再次换尿布。

The child's daily contact with another human being

孩子每天与其他人接触的时间限制在了

is reduced to a few hurried minutes of feeding and changing,

匆忙的几分钟的喂食及换尿布，

and otherwise their only stimulation is the ceiling,

其他时间，他们唯一的刺激对象是天花板，

the walls or the bars of their cots.

墙面或是他们小床的栅栏。

Since my first visit to Ceausescu's institution,

自从我第一次去Ceausescu的机构，

I've seen hundreds of such places across 18 countries,

我见过18个国家成百上千的地方，

from the Czech Republic to Sudan.

从捷克共和国到苏丹。

Across all of these diverse lands and cultures,

穿过这些不同的土地及文化，

the institutions, and the child's journey through them,

孤儿院，以及孩子们在其中的经历，

is depressingly similar.

是令人绝望的相似。

Lack of stimulation often leads to self-stimulating behaviors

缺乏刺激通常会导致一种自我刺激的行为

like hand-flapping, rocking back and forth,

像是拍手，前后摇晃，

or aggression, and in some institutions, psychiatric drugs

或是具有侵略性，在某些机构里，精神药物

are used to control the behavior of these children,

用来控制这些孩子们的行为，

whilst in others, children are tied up to prevent them

同时，孩子们被绑起来从而防止他们

from harming themselves or others.

伤害自己或他人。

These children are quickly labeled as having disabilities

这些孩子很快就被冠以残疾

and transferred to another institution for children with disabilities.

并且被送到一些为残疾孩子们设立的机构去。

Most of these children will never leave the institution again.

其中大部分的孩子将永远不会再厉害这些机构。

For those without disabilities, at age three,

对于那些没有残疾的孩子，在3岁的时候，

they're transferred to another institution, and at age seven,

他们被送到了其他的机构，在7岁时，

to yet another. Segregated according to age and gender,

又送去另外一个。根据年龄和性别被隔离，

they are arbitrarily separated from their siblings,

他们被专横的从他们的兄弟姐妹身边分离，

often without even a chance to say goodbye.

甚至常常连说再见的机会都没有。

There's rarely enough to eat. They are often hungry.

他们很少能吃饱。他们常常感到饥饿。

The older children bully the little ones. They learn to

年长的孩子们欺负年幼的孩子们。他们学着

survive. They learn to defend themselves, or they go under.

生存。他们学着保护他们自己，或者他们被欺压。

When they leave the institution, they find it really difficult

当他们离开这些机构的时候，他们会发现

to cope and to integrate into society.

融入社会十分困难。

In Moldova, young women raised in institutions

在摩尔多瓦，在这些机构里长大的年轻女人

are 10 times more likely to be trafficked than their peers,

比他们的同龄人更容易被拐卖，

and a Russian study found that two years after leaving institutions,

而一项俄罗斯的研究发现，离开机构两年后，

young adults, 20 percent of them had a criminal record,

20%的年轻人拥有犯罪记录，

14 percent were involved in prostitution,

14%参与卖淫，

and 10 percent had taken their own lives.

而10%选择了自杀。

But why are there so many orphans in Europe

但是为什么近些年在没有大型的战争及灾难的情况下

when there hasn't been a great deal of war or disaster in recent years?

欧洲仍然有众多的孤儿院？

In fact, more than 95 percent of these children have living parents,

实际上，95%的孩子们父母仍然活着，

and societies tend to blame these parents

社会倾向于批判这些父母

for abandoning these children, but research shows that

抛弃了他们的孩子，但是调查显示

most parents want their children, and that the primary drivers

大多数父母想要他们的孩子，而驱使这些机构化

behind institutionalization

背后的原因

are poverty, disability and ethnicity.

是贫穷，残疾和种族划分。

Many countries have not developed inclusive schools,

很多国家并没有发展全纳性学校，

and so even children with a very mild disability

所以即使是只有十分轻微的残疾的孩子

are sent away to a residential special school,

仍然被送到了特殊学校，

at age six or seven.

在6或7岁的时候。

The institution may be hundreds of miles away from the family home.

这些机构或许离他们的家乡上百公里。

If the family's poor, they find it difficult to visit,

如果家庭贫穷，他们就会发现探视是十分困难的，

and gradually the relationship breaks down.

然后渐渐的联系就断掉了。

Behind each of the million children in institutions,

在这些机构上百万孩子每一个的背后，

there is usually a story of parents who are desperate

通常都有一对绝望的家长，

and feel they've run out of options, like Natalia in Moldova,

他们感到别无选择，就想摩尔多瓦的娜塔莉娅，

who only had enough money to feed her baby,

她的钱之后喂养她的婴儿，

and so had to send her older son to the institution;

因此她必须将她较年长的孩子送到这些机构去；

or Desi, in Bulgaria, who looked after her four children

或是Desi，在保加利亚，她在家照顾她的四个孩子

at home until her husband died,

直到她的丈夫去世，

but then she had to go out to work full time,

但是之后，她必须外出做一份全职工作，

and with no support, felt she had no option

并且没有任何的支持，因此她感到别无选择

but to place a child with disabilities in an institution;

只能将一个有残疾的孩子送到相关的机构；

or the countless young girls too terrified to tell their parents

或者有无法同的的女孩们十分害怕告诉她们的父母

they're pregnant, who leave their babies in a hospital;

她们怀孕的消息，只能将孩子留在医院，

or the new parents, the young couple who have

或者一些新生儿的父母，年轻的夫妇发现他们

just found out that their firstborn child has a disability,

第一个孩子还有残疾，

and instead of being provided with positive messages

并没有被提供积极的

about their child's potential, are told by the doctors,

关于他们孩子潜力的正面信息，而是被医生告诉，

"Forget her, leave her in the institution,

“忘了她吧，将她送到相关的机构去，

go home and make a healthy one."

回家并且再生一个健康的孩子。“

This state of affairs is neither necessary nor is it inevitable.

这些状况并非必要或是不可避免的。

Every child has the right to a family, deserves

每一个孩子都有权利去到一个家庭，值得

and needs a family, and children are amazingly resilient.

并且需要一个家庭，而且孩子们是非常有恢复力的。

We find that if we get them out of institutions and into loving

我们发现如果我们较早的将他们从机构中带出

families early on, they recover their developmental delays,

并且送到一个充满爱的家庭，他们将从他们的延迟成长中恢复，

and go on to lead normal, happy lives.

并且拥有一个普通的，快乐的人生。

It's also much cheaper to provide support to families

而且，为家庭提供支持要比为机构提供支持

than it is to provide institutions.

便宜得多。

One study suggests that a family support service

一个调查标兵一个家庭支持服务的话费

costs 10 percent of an institutional placement,

是机构的10%，

whilst good quality foster care

同时高品质的培养

costs usually about 30 percent.

通常只会花到30%。

If we spend less on these children but on the right services,

如果我们在这些孩子身上少花钱而把钱花在正确的服务商，

we can take the savings and reinvest them in high quality

我们将能够拯救并对拥有复杂需要的孩子们

residential care for those few children with extremely complex needs.

进行高品质的再投资。

Across Europe, a movement is growing to shift the focus

整个欧洲，一个运动正在发展并且将

and transfer the resources from large institutions

提供较差服务大型机构的资源转移到

that provide poor quality care to community-based services

社区性质的保护

that protect children from harm and allow them to develop

并且让孩子们充分发挥自己天赋的服务中，

to their full potential. When I first started to work in Romania

当在20年前我开始在罗马利亚工作时，

nearly 20 years ago, there were 200,000 children living

那是约有200，000的孩子住在这些机构，

in institutions, and more entering every day.

每天都有更多的孩子进来。

Now, there are less than 10,000, and

现在，则少于10,000，并且

family support services are provided across the country.

家庭支持服务在全国范围内开展。

In Moldova, despite extreme poverty and the terrible effects

在摩尔多瓦，尽管极度的贫穷和可怕的

of the global financial crisis, the numbers of children

全球经融危机造成影响，机构中的孩子仍然

in institutions has reduced by more than 50 percent

在过去的5年里减少了超过50%

in the last five years, and the resources are being

而且资源被重新分配

redistributed to family support services and inclusive schools.

给了家庭支持服务和全纳性学校。

Many countries have developed national action plans for change.

很多国家正在发展国家性的行为来进行改变。

The European Commission and other major donors

欧盟委员会和其他主要的捐助者

are finding ways to divert money from institutions

正在寻找方法更多的将钱从机构

towards family support, empowering communities

转向家庭支持，增强社区能力

to look after their own children.

来照顾他们自己的孩子。

But there is still much to be done to end the systematic

但是仍然有许许多多的事需要去做来终结

institutionalization of children.

对孩子们系统化制度化的管理。

Awareness-raising is required at every level of society.

认知的提升需要社会的每一个阶层。

People need to know the harm that institutions cause to children,

人们需要知道机构对孩子们产生的伤害，

and the better alternatives that exist.

并且现在存在更好的选择。

If we know people who are planning to support orphanages,

如果我们知道有谁计划支持孤儿院，

we should convince them to support family services instead.

我们需要劝说他们转而去支持家庭服务。

Together, this is the one form of child abuse

行动起来，这是一种我们可以在有生之年

that we could eradicate in our lifetime.

消除的对孩子的虐待。

Thank you. (Applause)

谢谢。（鼓掌）

(Applause)

（鼓掌）