Cighid
Encyclopedia
Cighid is probably the most infamous children's home in Romania
. It won notoriety in March 1990 shortly after the fall of the Ceauşescu
-Regime.
or diseases.
The children's home Cighid, near the Hungarian
border, was discovered in spring 1990 by western reporters. The pictures of sick and malnourished children were published in many newspapers and were shown on many TV stations around the world. Observers described the sight of Cighid with terms like "Child Gulag
s" or "the Romanian Euthanasia Program".
Charities from America and Western Europe
contributed massively to an aid programme which saw Cighid improved. Many of the children being held at Cighid were adopted by Western European families.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
. It won notoriety in March 1990 shortly after the fall of the Ceauşescu
Nicolae Ceausescu
Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Romanian Communist politician. He was General Secretary of the Romanian Communist Party from 1965 to 1989, and as such was the country's second and last Communist leader...
-Regime.
Background information
In 1966, the regime of Nicolae Ceauşescu decreed a ban on contraception and abortion with the aim of increasing Romania's population. At the age of three years the children were medically examined. Disabled and orphaned children were in huge numbers brought into homes like Cighid or psychiatric hospitals, where they lived under inhumane conditions. Many children died within a few weeks because of hunger, frostbiteFrostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
or diseases.
The children's home Cighid, near the Hungarian
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
border, was discovered in spring 1990 by western reporters. The pictures of sick and malnourished children were published in many newspapers and were shown on many TV stations around the world. Observers described the sight of Cighid with terms like "Child Gulag
Gulag
The Gulag was the government agency that administered the main Soviet forced labor camp systems. While the camps housed a wide range of convicts, from petty criminals to political prisoners, large numbers were convicted by simplified procedures, such as NKVD troikas and other instruments of...
s" or "the Romanian Euthanasia Program".
Charities from America and Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
contributed massively to an aid programme which saw Cighid improved. Many of the children being held at Cighid were adopted by Western European families.
External links
- Life in Ceausescu's institutions (BBC news)