"Child Exploitation" by Film Makers Not Properly Investigated

А public committee on Sunday accused Sofia government inspectors of failing to conduct a proper check into reported violations of children’s rights in the film industry. The committee, chaired by TV director Kamen Kostov, said that instead of looking into cases of „child exploitation“ involving the Nu Image company, the Sofia City Inspectorate of Labour (SCIL) only examined working conditions at the film studios.

A lawsuit will be brought against SCIL Director Stefka Diksokova for „covering up and helping David Varod in his crimes“ said the committee secretary, casting agent Miroslav Paskalev. Varod runs the Bulgarian operations of Los Angeles-based Nu Image/Millennium Films.

Paskalev said the public committee has evidence that 156 underage actors have been filmed at night, which is against the law. He cited long shooting sessions as another example of what the committee calls „exploitation of child labour“.

Reiterating a view expressed earlier, Paskalev said the Labour and Social Policy Ministry is wrong to assume that the young actors’ parents are the ones responsible for how their children are treated by the film makers. According to the committee secretary, actor contracts have been signed directly with the children, and not with their parents, in at least eight cases.

Furthermore, the signing does not usually take place until after the filming job is done. The actual employment relations are unlawfully disguised under contracts of service which do not require the employer to pay for social security, he said.

Overall, the committee is dissatisfied with how government departments and political parties have responded to its claims. But Paskalev had a kind word to say about the cooperation provided by Deputy Labour and Social Policy Minister Vassil Voinov and by Hassan Ademov, a ranking member of the Movement for Rights and Freedoms (of the ruling coalition).

Trade union leader Konstantin Trenchev was at the news conference. He said one of the matters which need to be addressed is the amount of pay which Nu Image offers to the children it hires. He said the rate in Romania is several times the pay offered here, and the difference with the Czech Republic is many times more.

Trenchev said his organization, the Podkrepa Confederation of Labour, will offer the public committee full cooperation in contacts with national government institutions and with the International Labour Organization.

The public committee plans to split into a civic movement and a trade union. It is already represented in Podkrepa.

The committee proposes changes in the Penal Code, the Labour Code and the Child Protection Act. One proposal is to allow government agencies to exercise control over the children’s rights situation in commercial corporations, which is impossible under the effective legislation.

Even as it is now, national law is not always applied to provide better protection to children, Trenchev said. Also, relevant international conventions to which Bulgaria is a party should be applied more strictly.

Earlier in the week, Varod said Nu Image meets all legal requirement when employing children for movie productions.

The committee said Nu Image/Millennium Films is up for sale. Unconfirmed reports put the price of the future transaction at 250 million US dollars. The film studios in Sofia cost half that price, Paskalev said.

Valentin Evstatiev of BTA