Mystery girl taken from Roma home in Greece is 'at peace,' charity says

[dlwickham]

Source: CNN

The charity taking care of a blonde, blue-eyed girl taken by police from a Roma community in Greece has received 8,000 calls from around the world since it issued a call for help in finding her parents.

"At least eight calls have some information that can be used by the police for further investigation," Smile of the Child spokesman Panagiotis Pardalis said Sunday. "Four of these calls are from the United States."

The group is working with Greek authorities, Interpol and Europol to solve the mystery of Maria, the name by which the couple posing as her parents called the 4-year-old.

"This Roma family had 14 children in total, and they were registered with fake birth certificates, so now the police are trying to see whether these children also belong to this family or if there is something else behind this," Pardalis said.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/20/world/europe/greece-mystery-girl/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

[loli phabay]

1. hopefully interpol can figure this out and get to the bottom of it.

[hedgehog]

2. The story describes the girl as being kept in unhygienic conditions,

but what about the rest of the children in the camp?

[mimi85]

12. Its sad, however

if the children are with their biological parent(s), there's really nothing anyone can do. At least by US law.

[moriah]

20. If kids are truly being neglected or abused, yes there is.

But if all the kids in the camp were exposed to the same "neglect" yet only the child that looked suspiciously white and her siblings were deemed worthy of rescue...

... it suggests to me that either the conditions aren't so terrible, or the Greek government really is that racist not to care about the other kids. I mean, seriously, would we tolerate a police raid of an impoverished minority community because we assumed they had drugs or guns since they were a member of that minority? The family obviously didn't have to steal children to get more benefits from the state if they were, the mother was more than happy to register the kids she had multiple times (they say 10 of the 14 children registered are "missing", I say they never existed most likely!).

Also, people jumped from the articles saying they didn't know if she'd been forced to work or to beg, to saying that she was most assuredly being forced to do those things and that's reason enough to take her. Well, maybe so, but the people who took her didn't know if that's what was happening or not.

Overall, the whole thing stinks, and the reek is of long-standing disdain and hatred for a culture and ethnic group.

[loli phabay]

23. as much as i love greece, the EU human rights commission has repeatedly reported on its

Bigotry towards the rom communities living within her borders.

[kysrsoze]

26. Yeah, people should look up Golden Dawn, a Greek neo-Nazi organization. Real wholesome folks...

It's not just Romas who are looked down upon, but Albanians and other groups. I'm not saying at all that this is the "normal" mode of thought in Greece... Greeks generally are really wonderful, level-headed people (my in-laws, for instance), but there is SOME widespread anger (albeit misplaced) about these groups supposedly taking the resources of the land from the "native" people. Sounds a lot like the "illegals" rage in the U.S., or France, England, Germany, Israel, Iraq, Syria, you name it.

Unfortunately there's bigotry pretty much everywhere.

[loli phabay]

27. its not just these groups, the greek government has been lambasted by the EUCHR as well

As their society at large. But you are correct that there is a huge neo nazi political edge also.

[kysrsoze]

28. Completely agree. There are a lot of these elements in the government itself.

Last I saw though, a crackdown was beginning, with the head of Golden Dawn and another of others soon facing murder trial. They argue they are just nationalistic but peaceful, and hopefully this will open more eyes to the real hatred this and other groups possess.

[hedgehog]

34. Thank you for putting into words what I was feeling,

but wasn't sure how to express!

[kestrel91316]

3. Whether or not there is truth to the old slander of Roma about kidnapping children

remains to be seen. My grandmother (b 1912 in rural NE) used to tell me how, when she was a little girl, the "gypsies" would travel through the area and all the local parents warned the kids to steer clear of them because they would risk being kidnapped by them.

Makes me wonder if there wasn't a small grain of truth in there somewhere. I hope not.

[840high]

4. I was born in Europe. My

granny warned us of the same thing.

[loli phabay]

5. its a century old slander, that still gets brought up today when a scapegoat is needed

Not to say there may not be rom who have kidnapped kids but what culture does not have sickos. The myth goes that children are stolen and crippled intentionally to be better beggars or to be used in rituals, its sad to see that it is ingrained deep in the psyche of many.

[IdaBriggs]

7. You have been commenting on several of these threads about "slander"

and such about the gypsies/rom/etc.

Do you have some professional expertise on this topic? A passionate hobby? Are you a member of this population? Related in some fashion? Other?

Not a critique; I am curious as to the source of your opinions and/or knowledge?

Thank you in advance.

[kestrel91316]

8. I hadn't heard the part about the intentional crippling and begging.

I seriously doubt that has ever happened. Sounds too much like the old lie about Jews roasting and eating Christian babies that dates back to the Middle Ages.

[loli phabay]

9. its much the same kind of thing, but like the jewish thing its believed by some

Along with the belief that rom are all theives and scam merchants. Its like any people there are different family businesses so to speak,

[indivisibleman]

10. I have never heard this about the Roma

but it is done in other countries.

[mimi85]

13. I don't know...

but when my best friend went to Italy several years ago, she said it was hard to travel anywhere in the main cities without being confronted by "gypsy" children begging for money. Tourists are an easy mark in most parts of the world. Especially US tourists since overall we are a pretty generous people.

I wonder if this child's parents have been looking for her? It seems that if they are, they would've spoken up since this has turned into an international story. Of course, she could have been just an infant. Horribly sad how so many children are sold by their parents. She looks of Russian or Eastern European ethnicity to me.

My beloved MIL was an English war bride. When she was born to a farming family in Northern England, she was given to a cousin or some relative to live as her family couldn't afford her. She didn't speak of it to my husband, just to his sister, the oldest child. She was so loving and uncomplaining - amazing she turned out the way she did. The family literally used her as a slave. I miss her terribly. Sorry. OT, as usual.

I certainly hope this story gets solved. For some reason I have my doubts.

[hedgehog]

38. I think it was quite common back then for children to be passed around within a family -

sometimes as treasures to be given to those with the means to care for them, sometimes as cheap labor.

[loli phabay]

46. also in times of darkening ie the thirties, a lot of kids where smuggled to families

From poland, the balkans and eastern europe to places that where thought safer. The kids were adopted into the families for protection, happened also at the start of the twentieth century with russian tsigan kids going south and to the west. More recently during the croatian and bosnian wars a lot of kids were adopted to safer regions.

[hedgehog]

47. I didn't know about that, but it makes sense-

persecuted peoples remember survival techniques.

In my own family, and uncle and aunt offered to adopt my mother and her sisters when my grandmother was very ill.

[loli phabay]

48. it helps that family is defined differently, its not just blood but other commonalities

Plus big families means that there are lots of connections that spread across large geographical areas and language groups.

[loli phabay]

49. also had to giggle at your name on this thread, as hedgehog is a delicacy

Best cooked whole wrapped in clay and cooked in the embers of a fire, when done you break open the clay and the spines come away. I seem to remember a british chip company even had hedgehog flavoured crisps at on point.

[hedgehog]

50. I recall hearing about that - I think it's an old Roman (not Roma!) recipe!

I bet it tastes like chicken!

[loli phabay]

51. well the crisps were bouffing, that is bad. the other other other white meat not so bad

Rabbit is much better though, less effort and more of them.

[wickerwoman]

65. It's very common in China, even today.

If you ride the subway in any major Chinese city for any length of time, you will be approached by a crippled child begging. Many of those kids were crippled intentionally by family members or were kidnapped.

[kestrel91316]

67. I was referring to the Roma doing it. I seriously doubt it - maybe very rarely.

China is a whole different can of worms.

[TorchTheWitch]

16. watch the documentary in post #11 below

It's horrifying that using children to beg and steal and live in utter filth is part of the Roma gypsy culture.

[loli phabay]

17. no its part of some families, its like saying all italians are mafia or run pizza joints

Or all jews are diamond merchants, or any other group you wish to stereotype. There are many facets of rom culture it is just the ugly makes more sensational tv.

[Gemini Cat]

18. Thanks.

I'm glad someone gets it.

[Shemp Howard]

19. No one said "all"

Certainly not all Roma are baby-snatchers. And certainly not all Roma train their children to beg in the streets. Not that anyone has suggested that here, but to do so would be more than unfair. It would be repulsive.

But where there is smoke there is fire. For example, as you said, not all Italians are in the mafia. But it's much more likely that a mafia family would have an Italian connection then, say, a Swedish connection.

Along the same lines, a group of child beggars in Europe are much more likely to be Roma than Swedish.

To solve any problem, one first needs to accept the truths associated with the problem. The danger is that some people will use these truths not to help solve the problem, but to stir up hatred.

[loli phabay]

22. yep i dont disagree with you, problem is assumptions are being made

On the other thread the word eradication was actually used to describe what one poster thought should happen to rom culture. Others feel that that the greek system is fair towards roma when even the EU commission on human rights frequently states that greece has contravened the rights of the rom and practices segregation and bigoted policies. Others state that the girl must have been kidnapped as she is not blood related to the family and is blonde and blue eyed when it is common in any adoption for the child not to be a blood relative or even to look like the adopting family, but for some reason this common occurance should be evidence of something more nefarious when dealing with rom. There is a misunderstanding of the rom law on adoption and how it is done between the families on a hand shake, and in the majority of cases due to a death or in order to send kids from areas that are no longer safe. How the family unit is different than that of outsiders. There are a lot of misconceptions and slanfers that lie below the surface as can be seen from the posts on both threads, and these fuel the age old hatred that prevails against the community. It interests me that if this was a first nation, native american family or a family from any number of other minorities then i am sure the reaction from DU would be much different outside ofvwanting it resolved.

[moriah]

24. Correlation does not mean causation, however.

And I'm *very* cautious when I hear anyone say "Oh, not *all* of them are that way, but ...." and then go on to say that since some people in an ethnic group are that way, suspicion based solely on race and appearance is somehow justified.

Are Roma disproportionately represented in human trafficking in Europe because of the culture, or because of the way we treat and stereotype the culture?

From the 2011 PDF someone posted:

The vulnerability factors identified in this study are closely linked to those commonly associated with non-Romani trafficked persons. In other words, there is no unique “Roma vulnerability factor,” and no indication that trafficking is a “cultural practice” of Roma. The research reveals that Roma are highly vulnerable to trafficking due to structural forms of ethnic and gender discrimination, poverty and social exclusion which result in low educational achievement, high levels of unemployment, usury, growing up in state care, domestic violence affecting predominantly women and children and substance abuse. Furthermore, many of the vulnerability factors such as domestic violence, high school dropout rates, homelessness or being in state care affect children and youth exclusively or disproportionately. The complicity of family members in trafficking of Romani individuals is apparent, which is similar to the situation in other communities throughout the world.

Editing to add link since PDF is in another thread:

http://www.errc.org/cms/upload/file/breaking-the-silence-19-march-2011.pdf

[Shemp Howard]

30. But you cannot just ignore the connection

Moriah, I agree with you in regards to the Roma human trafficking accusations. They are unfair.

My previous point was in regard to the child begging problem. There is a strong connection between child begging in Europe and the Roma. That is just a fact.

IMHO, it is more useful to ask "Why are Roma children begging in the street?" than it is to ask the more generic "Why are children begging in the street?"

[moriah]

32. Forcing children to beg or steal *is* human trafficking.

Whether it's the kids parents doing it, or if they're stolen from their parents. The PDF seemed to state that while yes, it is a problem, it seems to be about as common as it is in other poverty-stricken communities, with about the same level of parental complicity. The PDF said in particular that while it isn't likely that a child will be deliberately crippled, anyone with a visible disability is at an extremely high risk of being trafficked in this fashion. Which is also true in other impoverished areas where children are forced to beg.

[Turborama]

55. No, that is not what the report says. have you even read it? If so, cite where it says this...

Forcing children to beg or steal ... is as common in Romany communities as it is in other poverty-stricken communities in Europe.

[moriah]

57. Sure, I already quoted the summary, but I'll go into more detail too.

The complicity of family members in trafficking of Romani individuals is apparent, which is similar to the situation in other communities throughout the world.

That was from a paragraph specifically saying there is no "Roma vulnerability factor", that the same vulnerability factors affect them, primarily poverty and its effects.

Research around the world on trafficking has shown that, in general, family members, acquaintances or someone else close to the victim are often involved in their trafficking. For example, the involvement of parents in the sale of their children into trafficking has been reported in Bangladesh, Thailand, Sub-Saharan African countries and Poland, to name a few. The research for this study on trafficking in Romani communities identified that this issue - family complicity in trafficking – is also present in Romani communities. Indeed, 13 out of 37 Romani trafficked persons interviewed during research reported that a family member such as a father, mother, uncle, husband or boyfriend had been involved in their recruitment into trafficking or exploitation.

What I'm saying is this. All the statistics in this report say are how represented the Roma are among those exploited. Not how many people among the Roma exploit their kids.

And people drawing that conclusion from these statistics, and therefore saying it's fine to go raid people's homes just because they're Gypsies? Seriously?

[Turborama]

60. Who's drawing those conclusion from the report? You're making an argument out of whole cloth.

And deviating from a discussion about what the report actually says.

[moriah]

62. They're drawing it from what you called the "report" at first, the documentaries.

"It's horrifying that using children to beg and steal and live in utter filth is part of the Roma gypsy culture."

The post and the subthread from it was what made me quote the PDF report, where it drew the conclusion that no, this is not a part of Roma culture, and there is no specific "Roma vulnerability factor".

[Turborama]

63. Now you're making a new argument about the documentaries? It's hard to keep up.

I haven't been drawing that conclusion from the report we are discussing, my posts above show that, and it is me you are have this particular conversation with about it.

Anyway, as can be seen in the documentaries, it is a part of their culture, though. That's not to say ALL Romanys are doing it. Just like guns are a part of American culture, but not ALL Americans are into guns.

[Turborama]

21. I posted that, the report that came with it and another documentary in the original thread

Here: http://www.democraticunderground.com/1014625441#post93

The other BBC documentary is just as, if not more, disturbing.

[moriah]

25. Yet the report stated that complicity....

... is no more common in instances of human trafficking among Roma than they are any other population -- the vulnerability has to do with the way the group has been marginalized and treated, the extreme poverty, the lack of opportunities for education... not their race.

[Turborama]

29. That was the report explaining why children and women are vulnerable to trafficking and abuse?

Breaking the Silence: Trafficking in Romani Communities
Estimates provided during research by the ERRC and PiN about the perceived representation of Roma among trafficked persons in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia are several times higher than the proportion of Roma among the general population, indicating a disproportionate impact of this practice on Romani communities. Romani women and children were found to be particularly vulnerable to trafficking, which brings Roma to other countries and to other locations within their home countries.

Roma are trafficked for various purposes, including sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, domestic servitude, organ trafficking, illegal adoption and forced begging. The vulnerability factors identified in this study are closely linked to those commonly associated with non-Romani trafficked persons and include structural forms of ethnic and gender discrimination, poverty and social exclusion which result in low educational achievement, high levels of unemployment, usury, growing up in State care, domestic violence and substance abuse.

Gaps in law, policy and practice in the field of anti-trafficking constitute barriers to the fight against trafficking in Romani communities. Few Roma are identified by police as trafficked persons and many are reluctant to report themselves to law enforcement agencies for fear of reprisal from their traffickers or of prosecution for the conduct of criminal acts as a trafficked person. Similarly low numbers of Romani trafficked persons access victim prevention and protection services and general social protection systems are failing to reduce the extreme vulnerability of Roma to trafficking. The overwhelming lack of support available to Romani trafficked persons negatively impacts the ability of many to re-integrate, leaving them highly vulnerable to re-trafficking.

Read the report here: http://www.errc.org/article/breaking-the-silence-trafficking-in-romani-communities/3846

When I said "reports" above I was referring to the BBC documentaries - and their accompanying articles - I previously posted about the traffickers and their victims.

The secret lives of Britain's child beggars
By John Sweeney
BBC Panorama

=snip=

Over the course of almost a year, all of the child-begging teams working the streets of London which were investigated by Panorama turned out to be Gypsies from Romania.

Despite wearing modest clothing and headscarves and targeting the mosque and areas popular with tourists from the Gulf states, none were Muslim.

Gypsies - also known as Roma - are Europe's largest ethnic minority, and the poorest. Racism against them in Romania and across Europe is rife.

Christine Beddoe, UK director of ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking), said forcing them to work the streets of London is denying them their childhood.

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/panorama/hi/front_page/newsid_9618000/9618038.stm

The report can be watcher here:

And...

How Gypsy gangs use child thieves
By Sam Bagnall
This World

=snip=

While some crime is driven by poverty, a worrying amount is the result of child exploitation, organised by professional criminals.

Breliante is a powerful underworld figure in the Romanian city of Craiova, where many of the Roma criminals in Milan originated.

He told the BBC many of the fabulous villas in the city were built on the proceeds of crime committed all over the world.

Gang bosses traffic people, including children, abroad to beg and steal and get fat on the profits.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/8226580.stm

The report can be watched here:

[moriah]

31. I was referring to the 2011 PDF, yes.

Which discussed all aspects of trafficking, including forced child labor (begging and petty theft). And yes, their conclusions were that while family members were complicit, they were no more complicit in the trafficking than in other groups of similar poverty and marginalization by society.

[Turborama]

33. If you look at the regional figures, 60, 70, 80, 90 and up to 100% of the victims are Romany

Pages 35 - 37 (using Adobe PDF readers page count).

The conclusion states: As is the case with non-Roma who are trafficked, the families of Romani trafficked persons were found at times to be complicit in the trafficking situation.

The two documentaries were posted to give an insight into who is behind the trafficking.

[moriah]

36. And a huge percentage of our homeless are veterans.

Are a huge percentage of our veterans homeless?

Or does our society fail to provide the support that vulnerable citizens like our veterans need to avoid homelessness, making them represented disproportionately because of their vulnerability?

I agree with the poster that said it is important to examine why the Roma are more vulnerable, and attempt to address it. But children all over the world are forced by their parents to beg, or to steal, when they are in that level of poverty. Not just Roma.

[Turborama]

37. I don't know why you're trying to massage the statistics with a false equivalency

Let's remember this topic is about children.

The fact is that all children are vulnerable to being abused by adults, regardless of the ethnicity of the children.

Why are children vulnerable? We all know the answer... Because they are children vulnerable to adults.

With regards to who are the biggest victims of child trafficking in Europe, the stats from the study I provided and you cited speak for themselves.

And with regards to this: "But children all over the world are forced by their parents to beg, or to steal, when they are in that level of poverty."

We are talking about Europe, not "all over the world". What "level of poverty"? If adults choose to bring up children outside the social safety net in Europe (uncommon), it is a completely different thing from children begging to survive in developing countries.

[moriah]

39. What I'm trying to say is you're engaging in a logical fallacy.

Do I need to draw a Venn Diagram?

Group A: Children of Roma descent in Europe
Group B: Children being exploited by their parents in Europe and forced to beg or steal or otherwise be trafficked

If you drew that diagram, the only data you have to go on from the stuff you described is the size of group B and the intersection of Group A with Group B.

You fail to account for the size of Group A's circle. And the Roma are the largest ethnic minority in Europe.

[loli phabay]

42. i think some dont understand how large an ethnic group this covers

Also an analogy to use that some may understand is the native americans, they all are native americans but the have different tribes, languages and some cultural practices that where abhorrent. But to compare one tribes practices and say all native americans did it, ie human sacrifice would be to make an error. Same with the rom, some families have abhorrent practices that thry alone share, most dont. In fact in everyday life with the numbers living settled you probuably have interaction more regularly than you would think and not even know. Most stuff is never revealed to outsiders and what is is often misinformation.

[Turborama]

54. There is no logical fallacy in what I have said, I am just repeating what the report says.

Your interpretation of it was wrong, and I was showing DUers who don't have the time to read the whole thing what is actually in it.

BY FAR the largest amount of children being used as beggars and thieves in Europe are Romany. Fact. The study shows this.

Your false dichotomy is a diversion.

Let me know when you've watched the videos I have provided. The case studies within in them show a commonality throughout Europe of gypsies sending their children out to beg and steal. It is so ingrained that one couple are even sending their children out to do it when they are provided a roof over their head and free food by an Italian charity. It is also part of their culture to sell their daughters at as young as 12 for "marriage". See in this video what can make them more valuable.

[moriah]

56. None of the studies say how common this is in Roma.

All they say is that Roma are disproportionately represented among those exploited.

I have watched all the documentaries, and all say that this is not common among the culture in general. You guys are acting like every Gypsy family in Europe is exploiting their kids, or more than half are, or 60 or 70 or 80 or whatever number, instead of what the statistic actually means.

[Turborama]

58. Your obfuscations miss entirely the point I've been making

Children in Europe are trafficked in order to steal and beg to make money for adults.

The vast majority of these children are Romany.

This is the findings of the report we have been discussing.

Not all Romany's traffick their children. This is a given. If they did, the problem would be a lot bigger than it already is.

[loli phabay]

59. finally i agree with you, the problem is that not everyone thinks as you do

There is a lot of people who buy into the stereotypes, from stealing kids to all being thieves, etc etc. There is a problem with a segment of the rom, but it is a tiny minority. Ideally it should be dealt with but there is a mistrust of the laws of outsiders from experience, also its actually more of a cultural thing from a subset rather than a rom cultural thing.

[moriah]

64. And I never denied it happens.

I'm glad you realize not all of them do it, or even the vast majority. It is a small minority. It's not a cultural thing. Per that report, it is mostly a product of poverty and the results of poverty.

What irritates me greatly is the willingness of so many people on these threads to paint this ethnic group with a very broad brush, and to immediately believe the worst. A statement saying they had no idea if she had been forced to beg or not turned into people yelling in capital letters that this poor little baby was being forced to beg on the street. I have only seen one other person specifically ask about the other kids in the camp and if they were also taken so they wouldn't be put through the neglect she suffered.

Very few seem to be even the slightest bit upset that these people are living in an atmosphere of persecution so strong that according to articles it's "routine" for the settlements to be raided and searched by the government for no specific probable cause other than the ethnicity of the people living there.

Most of all, when those things are brought up, it seems like people have been falling into a pattern of victim-blaming. The mothers in the documentaries who begged with their kids... how many of them are truly perpetrators, or are they victims themselves? By labeling it a "cultural thing" in our minds, we can conveniently ignore the ways society is making the situation far worse than it has to be. Why aren't Romanian citizens allowed to work with the same freedoms as other EU-country citizens in Britain? They said that Roma from other countries are hardly ever involved in begging in the UK.

[hedgehog]

35. When the Rom weren't handy, Jews were blamed

(google "blood libel&quot

We know now that children are abused most often by relatives and trusted friends.

[loli phabay]

43. yup, it seems that while we look on stuff like blood libel as evil it is still

Acceptable to state lies about rom as truth. Its quite an eye opener to read some of the stuff on these threads.

[loli phabay]

45. ps was told on another thread that rom is not a real descriptor, i guess there are a list of real

Words to use, i wonder if tink, traveler, sinti, rrom, romanje, roma, romani are all okay or are they next to be put on the list.

[efhmc]

6. Weird, but this is an old warning.

[TygrBright]

14. Like "the Circus" in later eras, Roma got the blame for many disappearances/runaways.

For youngsters in isolated villages and communities in pre-industrial ages, there weren't many routes of escape. Itinerant groups like Roma, entertainers, etc., may have provided ways for some youngsters to leave their homes, and in so doing, acquired the blame and reputation attached to any missing youngster(s).

speculatively,
Bright

[lofty1]

11. Documentary on gypsies

Here is a BBC documentary on Romanian gypsies in Europe. It takes a little under an hour to watch, and is an eye-opener.

[mimi85]

15. Wow. Thank you

I think. Very powerful!

[riderinthestorm]

40. Welcome to DU. Wonderful but horrifying documentary from the BBC is a great addition

to this conversation.

Thanks for posting!

[treestar]

52. +1

Very interesting.

[JI7]

61. it's clear the kids are being abused , the Euro nations need to do more

in holding parents accountable for what the kids do.

[hedgehog]

41. Trafficking of humans for any purpose by anyone requires the complicity of the larger society -

even if that complicity is only willful ignorance.

So - if the Roma are guilty of trafficking children, how is it that they profit by it?

[loli phabay]

44. some will profit from it, thats the shame. also i think there is a misunderstanding about

The adoption laws and how they work, many in the community particularly the russian tsigan have no paperwork or in the case of tinks and travelers in the uk dodgy documents that there is no paper trail to follow. Adoption is simply a handshake and the child moves family, sometimes sadly for the wrong reasons mostly for the right reasons.

[840high]

53. Update

They were arrested. They said the girl was "given" to them.

[Kablooie]

66. So are they saying that the gypsies kidnapped the children?

Gypsies kidnapping kids is in a lot of old European stories but I didn't think much of it was real.
Especially today.