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Implementing the right to community integration for children with disabilities in Russia: a human rights framework
E Rosenthal1, E Bauer, M F Hayden
1Mental Disability Rights International, 110 Maryland Ave. NE, Suite 511, Washington, DC 20002, USA.
Insights
Child abuse in Russian institutions is a serious human rights issue. Promoting community integration for children with disabilities is crucial for long-term reform and preventing discrimination.
Area of Science:
- Human Rights
- Child Welfare
- Disability Studies
Background:
- Human rights organizations report widespread abuse in Russian orphanages and institutions for children with disabilities.
- Segregated services in institutions can perpetuate discrimination and abuse, delaying essential reforms.
- Community integration is vital to address the root causes of these issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe a framework for addressing abuses in institutions based on the right to community integration.
- To advocate for a shift from improving institutions to fostering community-based services.
- To provide a model applicable to other countries with similar institutionalization issues.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of human rights documentation on institutional abuse.
- Application of the internationally recognized right to community integration.
- Development of a framework for action tailored to the Russian context.
Main Results:
- Investment in institutional improvements may inadvertently prolong segregation.
- A rights-based approach prioritizing community integration offers a path to reform.
- The proposed framework addresses discrimination and abuse by promoting inclusion.
Conclusions:
- Community integration is essential for protecting children's rights and preventing abuse in institutional settings.
- The framework provides a strategy for transitioning away from segregated services towards inclusive community-based support.
- This approach is relevant for international efforts to deinstitutionalize children and adults with disabilities.
Abstract:
Human rights organizations have documented a widespread pattern of abuse in Russia's orphanages and institutions for children with disabilities. Community integration is critical to attack the underlying causes of discrimination and abuse of children in institutions. While there is an immediate need to protect children in institutions, investment in improving orphanages may inadvertently strengthen an outmoded system of segregated services, delaying long-term reform. This article describes a response to abuses in institutions based on the internationally recognized right to community integration for all children, including children with mental and physical disabilities. While tailored to Russia, the framework for action described here applies to many countries in which children and adults with disabilities are similarly segregated from society in closed institutions.