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Anastasia Balezdrova

The issue of little Maria’s fate was misapprehended by Bulgaria as a political problem. This was the first comment by Kostas Giannopoulos, Director of "The Smile of the Child" organization before GRReporter in connection with the decision of the district court in Larisa, by virtue of which the child should be placed in its custody. "This is a purely procedural matter relating to the protection of a child," he added.

Little Maria, called the "blond angel" by the Greek media because of her blond hair and fair skin, was accidentally found during a police raid in the Roma camp near Farsala town in October 2013. The child was found by the prosecutor of Larissa and later it was established that she was not the biological child of the Roma couple that pretended to be her parents. Immediately after the girl was found she was temporarily placed at "The Smile of the Child" organization. The developments took place at a rapid pace afterwards: the biological parents of Maria who was born in Lamia were found in the Bulgarian village of Nikolaevo, her alleged "parents" were sent to custody for kidnapping, documentary fraud and illegal receipt of social benefits, and she continued to be placed at the organization. On 18 March, the voluntary jurisdiction department of the district court in Larissa started examining the case of the custody of Maria. The Bulgarian state took part in it as well, requesting that the child be transferred to the Bulgarian State Agency for Child Protection. At a meeting last Thursday, the court ordered that Maria should be placed in full custody of "The Smile of the Child".

"I would like to emphasize that our organization was not involved in the case of deciding on the custody of Maria. The only thing the prosecutor for minors asked us was if we would agree to take care of the child if there were no other options in favour of her best interests. They sent a team to visit our homes and to inspect how all children grow and live there. Maria and all other children live well and receive care, love and warmth. The court decision proves just that - there was no better option for her than staying with us," said Giannopoulos, stressing, "Maria did not come to us on our initiative. Some people just incorrectly believe that "The Smile of the Child" collects children. 340 children are living in our 14 homes at present and we strive to provide them with the best possible care."

According to Giannopoulos, even upon placing Maria at the house of the organization, she spoke Greek in addition to the Roma language. "She was speaking and was able to understand well enough; simply, she already speaks freely." Maria is living in a dormitory with 4-year-old Christina, who was found just a month later and her fate is similar.

"We are very careful when following the development of a child because, as experts say, he or she may not easily show what lies inside. Maria feels good, she has felt so even from the start; her behaviour shows this and under no circumstances does she want to leave the home where she receives care and affection. She is a strong-minded person and shows a preference for the people who love her and for those whom she loves. In addition, she demonstrates strong independence, which makes us believe that she will be able to cope with the difficulties of life."

The organization is not yet aware of the exact text of the decision and it did not give information on whether Maria would be given to a foster family. The director of "The Smile of the Child" pointed out that many families expressed desire to take care of her still when she was found. "It is necessary to carefully explore the decision in order to establish the opportunities it provides for such a development in the future," he said. Either way, the decisions on these procedures are taken by the social services without the participation of "The Smile of the Child".

Meanwhile, the Roma couple from Farsala who pretended to be her parents were released from custody after the imposition of restrictive measures on them. In statements to the Greek media, her alleged "mother" Eleftheria Dimopoulou said she would use all legal means to take the child back, but this time through a formal adoption.

Kostas Giannopoulos said once again that all these months Maria had not sought the family in which she was found. "As I've said before, she called ‘Mom’ only once, in a moment of tension, whereas we have children, victims of violence and abuse, who are constantly looking for their mothers and fathers."

In the autumn, 5-year-old Maria is about to begin attending school within the context of preschool preparation. Like all the other children living in the houses of the organization, she will have to go outside to attend classes. Her significant and world publicity that is due to the case of finding her is still a problem for her, as she can be easily recognized. "We therefore appeal to all media to stop posting photos of her and information about her. Now, everyone knows how things have developed, the court decision has been announced and there is nothing more to say in connection with the case. Gradually the fuss about her should subside to allow the child to continue her normal course of life."

At the same time, he stressed that Maria "will remain as a child symbol."

"Along with that I would like to say to the Greek and the Bulgarian authorities and to those in all European countries that Maria is not in the street alone; Maria is not the victim of illegal adoption alone. Many children are victims of this organized system of trafficking in children.

We have recently organized a forum in Thessaloniki with the participation of colleagues from different countries. The Bulgarian Nadja Centre foundation attended it as well. The aim of the forum was to show that exploitation concerns all children. We should not focus our attention on one child alone, because the case has become publically known, but we should turn our eyes to the children who are in the street or in the hands of an alleged "mother", and are victims of trafficking. All together, we here and our colleagues in other countries must work to break this exploitation of children," concluded the director of "The Smile of the Child".

GRReporter joins the appeal of the organization and ceases to publish photos of Maria.