MDAC News Release
16 January: Budapest ( Hungary ) and Prague ( Czech Republic ). Children with intellectual and mental health disabilities in social care homes in the Czech Republic continue to be kept in cage beds in direct contravention of Czech legislation and international law.
In a letter today to the Czech Prime Minister, Mirek Topolánek, the Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC) called on the Czech government to demonstrate a commitment to ensuring the human rights of its children with disabilities. The call follows the screening of a BBC film showing children with intellectual and mental health disabilities in social care homes in the Czech Republic continuing to be kept in cage beds - in direct contravention of Czech legislation and international law.
MDAC, which works to advance the human rights of children and adults with actual or perceived disabilities in Europe and Central Asia, watched with sadness the BBC's report on life inside social care homes in the Czech Republic. Such ‘life' for many children in these homes took the form of living in beds surrounded by high metal bars or thick netting, beds otherwise known as ‘cage beds.' To see the film, click on this link http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/europe/7189556.stm
MDAC has been campaigning for the end of the use of cage beds in the Czech Republic and elsewhere for some years. In that time such cages have been directly prohibited in a number of countries. Nonetheless, within the Czech Republic their use continues, fully sanctioned by law, in psychiatric institutions although they have been specifically banned in social care homes.
As David Zahumenský, MDAC's Legal Monitor interviewed for, and in the piece, said: "If cage beds are being used in social care homes then they are being used illegally. The lack of monitoring and inspections in such homes clearly shows that the authorities do not do enough to end the misuse of restraints and the use of cage beds."
MDAC says legislation banning cage beds is of course one positive step towards the end of their use. A second would be extending this ban to psychiatric institutions. Of equal importance is the need to police any such ban by taking the simple step of ensuring a programme of regular monitoring of all institutions. The Czech Republic has failed to take this step despite cage beds having been banned a year ago. Its excuse, according to a representative of the Ministry of Social Affairs is "it's difficult to put in a comprehensive system of monitoring overnight".
Whilst effective inspections will contribute to reducing the risk of abuse so common in institutions, such abuse will end only when the institutionalisation of children itself is ended and community based alternatives are provided.
In a letter today to the Czech Prime Minister, MDAC called on the Czech government to demonstrate a commitment to ensuring the human rights of its children with disabilities.
The letter said: "To this end we seek a commitment to the enforcement of its human rights legislation, a commitment to the imposition of regular monitoring and inspections of all institutions and finally a commitment to an end of institutionalisation itself. "