A new revelation- or is it??

There are several things that have been published this week about the treatment of people with disabilities in Serbia. One is found HERE and is the original report written by Mental Disabilities rights International. I want to warn you that the pictures are graphic and the words intense.

After the release of that report came an article by the New York Times which you can find HERE. Again, very graphic.




Then there was a report by NBC Nightly news on disabled kids being abused in Serbia. You can get there HERE. Again, graphic, and this one has a video.

So much attention. So much "negative press" for Serbia BUT this may be the best news we've seen for children with disabilities worldwide. Maybe conditions will change. But as the official in Serbia has said, it will take years... and for many, that is their lifetime.

Chelle, an 'online' friend for over a year and a fellow parent to a child with Down syndrome has- to no gain of her own- begun a movement. Although we cannot change the conditions in Serbia today, we can, one by one, get children OUT of these conditions that exist in many Eastern Eurpoean countries. Russian institutions are closed- no adoptions will take place after a child enters the institution. Ukraine also institutionalizes children with Down syndrome after theage of 4. Please take a look HERE and see the movement...

I'm sorry for all the links today, I know you'd rather just read an update and keep going, but... if you were to click just two of the links, go to the MSNBC news story video and Chelle's blog. Those two will tell the story in fewer words than I could even begin to.

And yes, Aleksa is in an institution. In Eastern Europe. And we don't know what conditions exist where Aleksa is until we get there.

Yep, more tears.