In the Czech Republic, 6% of all children under three are institutionalised (the highest proportion in Europe, higher than central Asia). Across Europe there are estimated to be 23,000 children under three in residential institutions variously called “care homes”, “placement centres” or — the Western press’s favourite, because it fits neatly into headlines — “orphanages”. Yet only 6% of the children currently living in these institutions are actually parentless.

We launched the Children’s High Level Group in Romania because it is the eastern European state that was prepared to admit that it had a problem with institutionalised children and opened its doors to external agencies that wanted to help. There is still much work to do there — more than 30,000 children remain in care — yet when you look at how far Romania has come it is hard not to concede that a minor miracle has been achieved.

"She’s five months, look,” said Kevin, pointing at the date of birth on the sign over her cot. I tickled her cheek with a finger; she continued to gaze ahead. But then, as I was about to move away, she looked around, focused on me in that endearingly drunken way small babies have and gave a sudden and unexpected smile that made me feel as though I had a hard boiled egg lodged in my throat.

“That was one of the best units I’ve seen,” muttered Kevin in my ear as we left the room. “Did you hear? One of them was crying when we went in. So they’ve learnt that their needs will be met if they show distress.”

Kevin has seen those babies whose alarm system has been set permanently to mute: nobody responded, so they stopped behaving as babies are designed to behave when they are hungry, cold and wet. Continual neglect leads to permanently impaired brain function.

One of my first thoughts, when I finished reading that initial article by Justin Sparks, was “why didn’t I know about this? How could I not know about it?” I had momentarily forgotten that human suffering, however dreadful and on however wide a scale, will always go ignored and unheard unless somebody is prepared to shout about it, and others are ready to act. It is phenomenally easy both to hide and to silence children once separated from their families. They are small and portable, their language skills aren’t great, they don’t have lawyers and they aren’t registered to vote. Abandoned, neglected, caged or trafficked, these children were intended by nature to be protected by their parents. Now it is somebody else’s job — partly, mine.