GREECE: Greek court grants custody of little blue-eyed Maria to a Greek children's organization

Record ID: 190393

  • Title: GREECE: Greek court grants custody of little blue-eyed Maria to a Greek children's organization
  • Date: 2nd June 2014
  • Summary: ATHENS, GREECE (JUNE 2, 2104) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) SMILE OF THE CHILD DIRECTOR KOSTAS YANNOPOULOS SAYING: "She is happy, she goes around like a child, she has no problems at all. But we don't know what is happening deep, that's why we have to be very, very careful, and that's why with all these children we have special psychology support."
  • Embargoed: 17th June 2014 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Greece
  • Country: Greece
  • Topics: Legal System
  • Reuters ID: LVAEMEQUL6WGHDISTVXZ8TQPZ8YH
  • Story Text: A Greek children's organization welcomed on Monday (June 2) a court decision to grant custody of little Maria - the blonde, blue-eyed girl found in a Roma settlement last year - to the organization and not to her Bulgarian Roma parents or the Greek Roma couple that was looking after her.
    "The court have decided for the best interests of the child that little Maria will continue to stay in our care. This is in one of our homes that we have children, this is 14 homes in Greece, and Maria lives in one of them, receiving appropriate care that a child in this case needs," said Kostas Yannopoulos, director of the children's organization "Smile of the Child."
    Little Maria's case caught worldwide attention when she was found in a Greek Roma settlement by police officers in October 2013. The Roma Couple who was keeping her were arrested and the child was taken to the children's organization "Smile of the Child", as concerns over child trafficking surfaced.
    After an international search, it was discovered that the child belonged to a Bulgarian Roma couple, who left the child with the Greek Roma couple and returned to Bulgaria.
    A Greek court in the city of Larissa, which has jurisdiction over the town of Farsala where the Roma settlement is located, ruled that the "Smile of the Child" would be granted custody. Both the Greek Roma couple, who are still in prison, and a state children's institution in Bulgaria, had requested custody.
    When the story of Maria broke in 2013, the "Smile of the Child" received tens of thousands of queries about adopting Maria from Greece and countries abroad. Yannopoulos said the ideal outcome now would be for Maria to be adopted, but if she is not she will stay at the organization until she becomes an adult.
    "If a child is not dependent, or there is not any obstacle, legal or otherwise, we prefer that a child goes with a family, of course through the government bodies, but its up to the certain circumstances, and its better, much better - even though the children live in a very healthy and good environment with care - always preferable is the adoption of the child," said Yannopoulos.
    Court officials said the court ruling was based on the view that any change to the girl's environment at this time would create more insecurity and distress for the child. The decision was also based on her relationship with her Bulgarian Roma parents who have made no effort to communicate or contact the child since she was taken by police.
    Maria's natural mother, Sasha Ruseva, admitted to leaving a seven-month-old baby in Greece in 2009 when she was working as an olive-picker, because she could not look after the child and had to return to Bulgaria. Ruseva and her husband are parents of nine other children and live in a Roma ghetto.
    Yannopoulos said Maria seems happy and has bonded with the other children and employees in the home where she is staying, and will be starting school this year. She reportedly does not discuss her past, nor seems confused, and the staff are monitoring her.
    "She is happy, she goes around like a child, she has no problems at all. But we don't know what is happening deep, that's why we have to be very very careful, and that's why, with all these children, we have special psychology support," said Yannopoulos.
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