Tag: institutionalisation

Moldova: ECHR finds Moldova responsible for failing to protect women with intellectual disabilities against forced abortion and contraception

in I’m A Person, Moldova

On 22 November, the European Court of Human Rights issued a judgment in G.M. and others v. the Republic of Moldova, a case represented by a Moldovan lawyer Violeta Gaşiţoi, which Validity supported as an amicus curiae. The Court found that Moldova violated Article 3 of the Convention, which protects against abortions and contraception to…
Czechia: Reports expose shocking use of mechanical restraints in psychiatric institutions

in Czech Republic, I’m A Person, My Home, My Choice

A psychiatric hospital in Opava, Czechia, kept a young woman in mechanical restraint for over 12-years. The story was exposed by a Czech human rights activist, supported by Validity, who managed to obtain reports of monitoring visits in 2018 of Czech psychiatric hospitals conducted as a part of a programme of psychiatric reform. The reports…
Czechia: long-awaited ban on cage beds in psychiatric institutions enters into force

in Czech Republic, My Home, My Choice

Czechia finally prohibited the use of netted cage beds in psychiatric hospitals from the beginning of this year, following a legislative amendment of the Czech Act on Healthcare Services. The ban comes after years-long efforts of Validity and its partners calling on the Government to end this practice. Various international bodies have repeatedly echoed our…
Moldova: Validity calls on European Court of Human Rights to recognise forced abortion and sterilisation as torture

in I’m A Person, Moldova

Validity has intervened before the European Court of Human Rights (“the Court”) in the case G.M. and others v. the Republic of Moldova. Our intervention highlights that forced sterilisation and forced abortion are forms of torture and ill-treatment, and constitute systemic discrimination against women with disabilities. We also explained that legal systems condone these acts…
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…
Hungary: Validity takes legal action against the European Commission for refusing to release information on its funding of human rights abuses

in Hungary, My Home, My Choice

The European Commission has refused to make public documents submitted to it by the Hungarian Government concerning the use of European Union Structural and Investment Funds to finance the renovation and construction of institutions that segregate and discriminate against persons with disabilities. Validity, kindly assisted by Covington & Burling LLP, has filed an application against…
COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor Report highlights catastrophic global failure to protect the rights of persons with disabilities

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

Final report: Click here Easy-to-read summary of the final report: Click here In its final report, the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor (DRM) Coordinating Group calls for urgent action by States and the international community to halt the catastrophic failure to protect the lives, health and rights of persons with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The…
Statement of the Coordinating Group of the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor at the Opening of the Twenty-Third Session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

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At the opening of the 23rd session of the CRPD Committee, on 17 August 2020, Validity’s Co-Executive Director, Steven Allen spoke on behalf of the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor Coordinating Group and shared some preliminary findings of the global survey, which was translated into 25 languages and received more than 2,100 responses from 134 countries.…
COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor (DRM) calls for an emergency response to the catastrophic abuse of the human rights of persons with disabilities in institutions 

in Article, My Home, My Choice

Easy-to-read version: Click here On 20 April 2020, the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor (DRM) launched an international survey to monitor state measures concerning persons with disabilities amid the pandemic. The initial analysis of the ongoing global survey has revealed grave and systemic violations of fundamental freedoms and human rights of persons with disabilities detained in large- and small-scale institutions,…
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…