UN expert: Republic of Moldova is at a crossroads between
segregation and inclusion of persons with disabilities
CHISINAU / GENEVA (17 September 2015) – United Nations human
rights expert Catalina Devandas-Aguilar on Thursday called on the Moldovan
Government to accelerate efforts towards the inclusion of all persons with
disabilities in the country.
“The Republic of Moldova needs to focus on changing the
outdated medical perceptions on disability in society, which permeate the
design and provision of services for persons with disabilities, to make sure
that inclusion and participation becomes a reality,” Ms. Devandas-Aguilar said
at the end of her first official visit* as the UN Special Rapporteur on the
rights of persons with disabilities.
The expert observed many positive initiatives, such as law
no. 60 on social inclusion of persons with disabilities adopted just two years
after the country ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities, and the country’s effort on implementing inclusive education
systems.
“In inclusive education I believe that the right elements
are in place: focus on quality, individual learning plans, dedicated support
staff, and a clear funding structure with coordination and accountability
between central and local levels of administration,” she stated.
The Special Rapporteur also called the Government’s
attention to the need to include all children with disabilities in these
efforts: “Children who are deaf, those with psycho-social or intellectual disabilities,
girls and Roma children with disabilities; no-one should be left behind,” she
said.
Ms. Devandas-Aguilar shared alarming findings on persons
with disabilities in institutional settings, including residential psychiatric
facilities and the so-called ‘neuropsychological internats’, calling for an end
to institutionalization.
“I am appalled by what I have seen in these institutions,”
she noted. “Children and adults with disabilities are locked up – sometimes for
their entire lives – in unimaginable conditions; neglected and treated in
inhuman ways. They have almost no contact with other people.”
“I have received several allegations of physical, mental and
sexual abuse perpetrated in these institutions. These cases need to be
investigated and their perpetrators must be brought into justice,” the Special
Rapporteur stressed. “The Republic of Moldova needs to take immediate action to
close these institutions, starting with those where children reside, and
guarantee effective access to justice and remedies for those whose rights have
been violated therein.”
During her eight-day visit, the independent expert also
visited the Transnistrian region of the Republic of Moldova. She met with the
de facto authorities and visited two institutions and a rehabilitation centre
for children and youth with disabilities.
“I will look forward to continue engaging with the
authorities, organizations of persons with disabilities and other actors to
build an inclusive and accessible society that upholds the rules of democracy,
equality of opportunity and human rights for all,” Ms. Devandas-Aguilar said.
The Special Rapporteur will present a report containing her
conclusions and recommendations to the UN Human Rights Council in 2016.
(*) Check the full end-of-mission statement by the Special
Rapporteur: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=16441&LangID=E
ENDS
Ms. Catalina Devandas-Aguilar (Costa Rica) was designated as
the first Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in
December 2014 by the UN Human Rights Council. Ms. Devandas Aguilar has worked
extensively on disability issues at the national, regional and international
level with the Strategic Partnerships with the Disability Rights Advocacy Fund,
the UN unit responsible for the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities and the World Bank. Her work has focused on the rights of women
with disabilities and the rights of indigenous peoples with disabilities. Learn
more, log on to:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Disability/SRDisabilities/Pages/SRDisabilitiesIndex.aspx
Check the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/CRPD/Pages/ConventionRightsPersonsWithDisabilities.aspx
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the
Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name
of the Council’s independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that
address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of
the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not
UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from
any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
For further information and media requests, please contact
Ms. Krista Orama (+41 22 928 9286 / korama@ohchr.org), Cristina Michels (+41 22
928 9866 / cmichels@ohchr.org)
or write to
sr.disability@ohchr.org
For media inquiries related to other UN independent experts:
Xabier Celaya, OHCHR Media Unit (+ 41 22 917 9383 /
xcelaya@ohchr.org)
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