Category: Campaigns

Czech Republic rolls back on inclusive education for children with disabilities

in Article, Czech Republic, Schools For All, Uncategorised

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 educational needs to receive a quality education in mainstream schools. The amendment…
Bulgarian court finds guardian responsible for harm of forced institutionalisation

in Bulgaria, My Home, My Choice, Uncategorised

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 harm by failing to prevent…
Validity condemns exclusion of teenager from his school in Bosnia and Herzegovina

in Article, Bosnia Herzegovina, Schools For All

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 the educational support he needs. Numerous…
Statement on abuse uncovered in another Hungarian disability institution

in Hungary, My Home, My Choice

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 Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (TASZ), a national human rights NGO. According to the report, the complaint filed against the…
Statement in Solidarity with Zambian Activists Calling for Amendment of Mental Health Bill

in Article, Campaigns, Content type, Countries, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice, Press Release, Zambia

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 The outdated Mental Disorders Act [Chapter 305 of the Laws of Zambia] perpetuates discrimination, human rights violations, and abuses against persons with mental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, and access community-based services. In…
European Disability Movement Demands Council of Europe #WithdrawOviedo on World Mental Health Day

in Article, Campaigns, Content type, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice

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 proposed treaty on “persons with mental disorders” which has been under…
Validity challenges Russia at European Court after Constitutional Court refuses to allow people with disabilities to visit their families

in Article, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice, Russia, Uncategorised

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 leaving the institution to visit her father at his…
Mental health law proposal in Uganda will breach human rights, says civil society coalition

in Article, Campaigns, Content type, Countries, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice, Uganda

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 in Parliament next Tuesday says that the law “does…
Czechia: UN Anti-Torture Experts Express Concern Regarding Ongoing Use of Cage Beds in Psychiatry

in Article, Campaigns, Content type, Countries, Czech Republic, My Home, My Choice

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 body, who pointed out to Czech representatives that involuntary…
Hungary must end rights abuses against persons with disabilities and stop targeting NGOs, says UN human rights committee

in Article, Campaigns, Content type, Countries, Hungary, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice, Schools For All

The United Nations Human Rights Committee has expressed concern about widespread human rights violations against persons with disabilities in Hungary. The Committee, which is the UN’s authoritative body overseeing global implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), noted that large number of persons with disabilities in Hungary continue to be institutionalised,…