One of the most outrageous policies that was put into place under Nicolae Ceausescu, was created in an attempt to double the entire poulation of Romania in just ten short years. In efforts to accomplish this, contraceptives and abortions were made illegal and all women were forced to have monthly examinations to ensure abortion attempts hadn't been made. After 1983, all women were expected to birth a minimum of five children. Failure to do so would result in being taxed infeasible amounts of money, making it even more difficult for families to survive off of their already meager incomes. Barren and unmarried women were also subjected to higher taxes. Women who were submissive to the policy were glorified by propaganda calling them "Heroine Mothers". Because families were so impoverished, many could not afford to support their children and had to give them up to state orphanages. Sadly, others simply abandoned them. By the time Ceausescu was executed in 1989, there were over 200,000 children under state care. With so many children and such a small number of caretakers within each orphanage (roughly 2 workers per 100 children), the children spent their most critical years of development laying in cribs with little or no human interaction. As a result, the majority developed severe physical and mental disorders from lack of stimulation, interaction, and nurturing. For some, the lack of being nurtured was enough to stop their bodies' growth entirely. This meant that even a decade later, a child could still appear and have the same mental capacity as an infant. In addition to the disorders, children fought malnutrition, disease from the unsanitary conditions, and mistreatment. Those that managed to learn to crawl were tied by the ankle to their cribs to keep them from climbing out.
Since 1989, conditions have improved, but change is still slow. There are about 50,000 children in orphanages and other facilities today. While this is only a fourth of the original number, there are still far too few resources to give adequate care to these children. In addition to those under state care, there are thousands more children living on the streets who have either run away from a facility or were released due to their age.
