In the wake of the terrible killings in Potsdam in Germany on the 28th of April, we reached out to our members in the country to ask them to give their thoughts on what happened and what can be done to prevent such horrors from happening again in the future. The basic summary of what…
On 10 December 2020, a long-awaited Deinstitutionalisation Support Act bill was proposed in the Republic of Korea by lawmaker Choi Hyeyoung, with support from 67 lawmakers. The law consists of two main parts; closing all forms of institutions in Korea and supporting the resettlement of persons with disabilities. First, the bill aims to close EVERY…
On 16th April, the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL, in the framework of the European Coalition for Community Living – ECCL and in partnership with Nic Crosby (GatherBuildWork), organised a successful webinar on European deinstitutionalisation reforms. The webinar, titled “Deinstitutionalisation in Practice – A Conversation with Practitioners and Disabled People”, brought together speakers…
Disability Rights International (DRI), the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) and Validity Foundation sent a joint contribution to the permanent representation of the European Union at the United Nations, in preparation of the EU – Ukraine Human Rights Dialogue. The submission, sent on 26 April, focuses on the situation of children in institutions and…
Vienna and Brussels, 20 April 2021 – Independent Living Austria (ILA) and the European Network for Independent Living (ENIL) filed a second official complaint to the European Commission against Austria. The complaint concerns the misuse of an estimated 3.2 million EUR from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), used in Tyrol for the renovation…
With 100 days to go until the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL is appalled at the news that Tokyo Paralympic Torch will pass through the Yamayuri-en institution for disabled people, which is referred to as an example of “inclusive society”. The same institution was the site…
From the 8th March – 1st April, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee) will hold its 24th session – the session will take place online, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. During the session, the Committee will hold an online constructive dialogue with Estonia, after which it will publish the Concluding…
On 29th January, ENIL took part in the webinar “COVID 19 and the Human Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Independent Living in a Pandemic”, organised by the Croatian Association for Self- Advocacy. The webinar was moderated by Damjan Janjušević from the Association for Self-Advocacy. The panellists were: Anka Slonjšak, Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities, Kristina…
At the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL, we take the opportunity at the end of each year to take stock of our achievements, difficulties and whatever else that made the year gone by stand out. The past year, as nobody needs reminding, has been very different, and among those who were lucky to…
In Brussels and Budapest, 23 December 2020 – In 2019, the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL and the Validity Foundation submitted two separate complaints against the Managing Authorities in Romania and Estonia, for using European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) to build new institutions for disabled people. After almost a year, the…
The European Network on Independent Living – ENIL, in cooperation with MEPs Marisa Matias and Jose Gusmao, are launching a new study to expose the use of European Structural and Investment Funds (ESI Funds) to maintain the segregation of disabled people in the European Union. The aim of this study, commissioned by the European United…
Brussels, 3 December – To mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL calls on Governments to stop delaying deinstitutionalisation reforms and start providing opportunities for independent living and being included in the community for all disabled people, as a matter of priority. Public funds, especially those…
In May this year, the European Commission confirmed the adoption of a European Child Guarantee in the first quarter of 2021. According to the Roadmap on the new Child Guarantee, the initiative will contribute to implementing Principle 11 of the European Pillar of Social Rights on childcare and support to children, and will be one…
Following on from a successful regional members’ meeting in Poland in 2019, ENIL hosted an online members’ meeting on Monday 14 September, with an accompanying webinar on “Independent Living for All” on Tuesday 15 September. The two-day event was well-attended, and questions and debates were lively. Personal Assistance was in the focus of the discussions,…
Brussels, 23 September 2020 — On 21st September, the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL) and MEP Katrin Langensiepen hosted an online event to address the key question of why the European Union continues to fund institutions for disabled people. Disabled people, activists, legal experts, representatives of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with…
My academic carrier at Vilnius University started and evolved in parallel with my work for the civil society organisation (CSO) Mental Health Perspectives. In autumn 2002, I started my Ph.D. studies and in March 2003, I started working as a project manager at Mental Health Perspectives (formerly known as the Geneva Initiative on Psychiatry and…
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…
Brussels, July 31, 2020 – Serbia’s government should collect and make public the data on Covid-19 infections and deaths inside institutions for people with disabilities, six organizations for people with disabilities and human rights groups said today in a letter to Prime Minister Ana Brnabić. Understanding the impact of Covid-19 on people in institutions is…
CLE Autistes is a major autistic-led group of French autistic people. They advocate for neurodiversity, acceptance, disability rights and independent living for autistic people. CLE Autistes notes that the French Disability Model is based on institutions for disabled people. From schooling to employment, disabled people are therefore rarely directed towards quality community services, that would…
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…
