Sunday, December 14, 2014

Behind bars

The fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of Communist rule in Eastern Europe in 1989 brought scenes of delirious joy and delight. But it also resulted in images of neglected, emaciated and traumatised shaven-headed children rocking back and forth in Romanian orphanages - the tragic and innocent victims of dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu and his crazed determination to encourage rapid population growth - being beamed into living rooms around the world.

25 years on, the Guardian's Wendell Steavenson has spent time with one of "Ceauşescu's children" - and understandably the resulting article doesn't make for easy reading. The truth was tough to take at the time - and it's even harder now that I'm a parent myself.

(Thanks to Lyndsey for the link.)

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