All children have the right to family – joint position statement
All children have the right to family life, yet children with disabilities are disproportionately deprived of this right. The reasons are multiple, including the lack of practical and financial support to families with children with disabilities, governments failing to invest in community-based services, and a strong push by professionals to… Read More
Romania: Justice denied for Ştefan Stoian after a decade of legal action
Earlier this week, the European Court of Human Rights ruled against Ştefan Stoian, a young man with quadriplegia, who took a case against Romania for denial of his right to education. The disappointing verdict came after almost a decade of legal action… Read More
Czech Republic rolls back on inclusive education for children with disabilities
Validity is concerned that the Czech Republic is rolling back on its commitments to ensure inclusive education for children with disabilities in the country. This week, the Minister of Education signed a regulatory amendment reducing the support made available for children with special… Read More
Bulgarian court finds guardian responsible for harm of forced institutionalisation
Georgi Tsenov spent most of his life in horrible conditions in an institution, fighting to be able to make choices about his own life. Now he has finally achieved recognition by the State for the ill-treatment he suffered over decades. Sofia City Court affirmed that the guardianship authority caused him… Read More
Validity condemns exclusion of teenager from his school in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Slavko Mrsevic has Asperger’s syndrome – a highly functional form of disability from the autism spectrum. Slavko attended an inclusive elementary school for nine years and made strong friendships. In 2015, he moved, with his friends, to secondary school with clear recommendations for accommodations to ensure he can get… Read More
Statement on abuse uncovered in another Hungarian disability institution
Validity expresses our deepest concern about the ill-treatment of residents of an institution for persons with disabilities in Mozsgó, which was recently reported by the Hungarian Commissioner for Fundamental Rights. The Commissioner investigated following a complaint from the… Read More
Statement in Solidarity with Zambian Activists Calling for Amendment of Mental Health Bill
Mental health law reform in Zambia is desperately overdue. The outdated Mental Disorders Act [Chapter 305 of the Laws of Zambia] perpetuates discrimination, human rights violations, and abuses against persons with mental disabilities. It denies mental health care users the rights to live with dignity, make decisions about their care,… Read More
European Disability Movement Demands Council of Europe #WithdrawOviedo on World Mental Health Day
Validity has joined a coalition of European organisations for persons with disabilities to demand that the Council of Europe withdraws a dangerous proposal to legalise forced detention and treatment of people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in breach of international human rights law. A… Read More
Validity challenges Russia at European Court after Constitutional Court refuses to allow people with disabilities to visit their families
In a disappointing decision issued last week, the Russian Constitutional Court rejected the right of a woman in a social care institution to visit her father. The two had brought the case complaining that the social care institution where the daughter resides unconstitutionally prevented her from… Read More
Mental health law proposal in Uganda will breach human rights, says civil society coalition
A coalition of organisations have today called on Ugandan Members of Parliament to oppose a Government-sponsored Mental Health Bill which will breach the human rights of persons with mental disabilities in the country. A position statement issued by the coalition in advance of a critical debate… Read More
Czechia: UN Anti-Torture Experts Express Concern Regarding Ongoing Use of Cage Beds in Psychiatry
The United Nations Committee against Torture has expressed concern about the continued restraint of people with mental disabilities in so-called ‘net beds’ in Czech psychiatric facilities. The comments came following a wide-ranging review of the country’s progress in stamping out torture by the UN’s top expert… Read More