Tag: deinstitutionalisation

Hungary: Lack of transparency prevents progress on independent living

in Hungary, My Home, My Choice, Uncategorised

Validity and our partners continue to advocate for concrete steps to enhance human rights protections for persons with disabilities in Hungary. However, we are concerned that a lack of transparency and accountability is preventing genuine progress on independent living. We call on both Hungary and the European Union to recommit to moving forward and to…
Hungary: Disability rights organisations address lack of respect for the rights of persons with disabilities through the UN’s Universal Periodic Review

in Hungary, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice, Schools For All, Uncategorised

Yesterday, Validity Foundation together with the Hungarian Autistic Society, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union, the Living Independently in the Community Advocacy Group, and the Step by Step! Association submitted a shadow report to the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), an important human rights process conducted by the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Validity also contributed to…
Finland: NGOs seek legal recognition that locking people in institutions is not a lawful response to Covid-19 epidemic

in Finland, My Home, My Choice

Photo: Mr. Petri Virolainen, Ambassador of Friendship, who brings happiness to residents in housing service units across Finland, has been stopped from visiting. Validity, Law Firm Kumpuvuori Ltd. and ENIL (European Network on Independent Living) have filed a collective complaint to the European Committee of Social Rights arguing that the measures violate the rights to…
Council of Europe body finds Czech Republic responsible for violating rights of children with disabilities and Romani children through institutionalisation

in Czech Republic, My Home, My Choice

The European Committee of Social Rights has today found the Czech Republic responsible for large-scale and discriminatory institutionalisation of children with disabilities and Romani children in early childhood care institutions, criticising the failure of the country to adopt and implement an appropriate deinstitutionalisation strategy. In a decision released today, the European Committee found violations of…
ENIL and Validity challenge Polish misuse of EU funding which contributes to segregation of persons with disabilities

in Article, My Home, My Choice, Poland

Brussels, 10 August 2020 – Poland has invested over 7 million EUR of European Regional and Development Fund (ERDF) on institutional settings for persons with disabilities, in violation of international human rights law. The case represents a further example of significant levels of EU funds being used to segregate persons with disabilities and violating their…
European Union: UN Special Rapporteurs on Disability and Housing Express Concern Over Systematic Misuse of EU Funds to Promote Disability-Based Institutionalisation Across Europe

in Uncategorised

Brussels and Budapest, 23 July 2020 – Two senior United Nations (UN) experts have expressed concern about numerous instances of EU funding being used to finance the maintenance and expansion of institutions for persons with disabilities across the continent, in violation of international human rights law. UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with…
UN Special Rapporteur on Health Calls on Bulgaria and the EU to Stop Building Disability Institutions

in Article, Bulgaria, My Home, My Choice

Brussels, Sofia and Budapest, 17 July 2020 – In high-level communications issued on 11 March 2020, Mr. Dainius Pūras, Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, has called on the Government of Bulgaria and the European Commission “to immediately stop the building…
All children have the right to family – joint position statement

in My Home, My Choice, Uncategorised

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 place children in specialised institutional…
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…
Hungarian government must suspend and redesign deinstitutionalisation projects

in Article, Hungary, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice, Press Release

NGOs are demanding the suspension and redesign of deinstitutionalisation projects managed by the Hungarian government with funding from the European Commission. According to the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union (HCLU), the Validity Foundation (formerly MDAC) and the European Network on Independent Living, the scheme to ‘deinstitutionalise’ 29 large institutions breaches national and international laws. The projects,…