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State Institutions
Over one million children live in State Institutions throughout Eastern Europe. Most of the children are 'social orphans', abandoned by their parents because they couldn't afford to look after them. Other children are abandoned because they have developmental delays, disabilities and illnesses. Being left in cots for most of their lives, their conditions are only exacerbated.
The children are housed in the outskirts of towns and cities in damp, crumbling buildings. Some Institutions have been 'renovated' with new windows, painted cots and a handful of toys, but no-one ever stopped to think that children should not be living in institutions in the first place.
When I arrived at the these institutions to photograph I had to gain permission and I therefore was expected by the staff. The children had their faces wiped and the toys were allowed out of cupboards. These photographs are the chosen highlights, photographs of what I was allowed to see, photographs that the authorities thought would be acceptable...
