Images From A Serbian Insane Asylum

Sharon · #1 ● 12-28-2014, 01:27 PM

Children and adults given up by their families. Languishing behind crumbling walls and rusted bars in a mental institution in Belgrade, Serbia, 2002.

Serbia was once a part of the former Yugoslavia, which began breaking apart in 1991. The mental institutions are remnants of the country’s communist past and symbols of a deeply ingrained prejudice against the mentally disabled and their families.

It’s a culture of shame that has changed little from one generation to another. Serbia’s medical establishment continues to advise parents to put their mentally disabled newborns into institutions, and the government provides virtually no support for those who choose not to. As a result, parents are left with an agonizing choice: keep their children at home and face financial ruin or give them up to live out their days in government-run institutions. Few families know about the severe conditions in most facilities.