Open Letter on the violation of the rights of young people with disabilities in institutional care
29 May 2019 // After the reporting of Adriana Tontsch, President of the Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus Association of Romania, IF decided to write an open letter addressed to the Romanian government and the authorities working within human and disability rights, calling on them on behalf of young people with disabilities living in Romanian institutions, whose lives are in danger, and their rights severely breached .
The letter is a reaction to the current situation of Maladin S., 19 years old, and Adina R., 18 years old, two young persons born with hydrocephalus who grew up in an institutionalised environment in Pitesti, Romania. According to the Romanian institutionalisation system, Maladin and Adina will be soon left on their own, being transferred from the residential care to an old-age home.
This is unacceptable, as the two are still in need of dedicated support and assistance, as a lack of care can easily lead to terrible consequences for their lives. Furthermore, this is a serious violation of their human rights, as the wishes of the two are not even taken into account, being separated from the environment they grew up in, their carers and the healthcare services they need.
The open letter is supported by the Romanian Association for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus, the European Disability Forum (EDF), the International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IF), the National Disability Council in Romania and the National Alliance for Rare Diseases in Romania, joining forces on such an urgent topic. It expresses our grave concerns and states our demands to the Romanian government.
