Recently I have concluded the few remaining sessions for a photo-documentary on the current situation in Romanian ex-orphanages and other institutional centres where children and adults with learning difficulties live permanently. These centres are now called ‘Placement and Rehabilitation Centre for Children or Adults with Learning Difficulties'. The project involved observing if the most basic Human Rights were respected. The findings are somewhat contradictory, as some centres (that...
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Recently I have concluded the few remaining sessions for a photo-documentary on the current situation in Romanian ex-orphanages and other institutional centres where children and adults with learning difficulties live permanently. These centres are now called ‘Placement and Rehabilitation Centre for Children or Adults with Learning Difficulties'. The project involved observing if the most basic Human Rights were respected. The findings are somewhat contradictory, as some centres (that benefited of European funds and uncorrupted leadership) have more or less acceptable living conditions but a low rate of rehabilitation and reintegration into society (in a society where any improvement of living conditions in such institutions is a major step forward) and some are simply concentration camps recycled orphanages or asylums. I wish this was an overstatement. However, in an attempt to emphasise the humanity of the people in this photo-documentary I decided to photograph the people rather than their living conditions. Too much emphasis has been put on living conditions in recent years and not enough onto the people that live in these institutions.
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