MDAC calls on the European Commission to stop funding disability segregation in Hungary

Today MDAC asked the European Commission to withdraw 12 million Euro of European taxpayers’ money, much of which will be spent on segregating people with disabilities in Hungary.

The Hungarian government has allocated a total of 24 million Euro (half of which is European Commission funding) to six psychiatric and social care institutions which currently house 900 adults. 650 of the residents will be moved out of these large institutions. 97 people will live in apartments. But the vast majority will be placed in institutions, albeit newer and smaller ones. 408 people will be sent to live in “group homes” (consisting of eight to twelve beds) and 145 into “living centres” (five of which will have 25 beds and one 30 beds).

Placing a person with disabilities into any kind of institution is a violation of international human rights law. The right to live in the community is set out in Article 19 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Hungary ratified this Convention in 2007 and the European Union ratified it in 2010. This means that both Hungary and the EU have no option but to comply with the Convention. Once moved to “group homes” or “living centres”, a person with disabilities will be forced to live and socialize only with other disabled people. They will be denied their individuality and autonomy. And they will be physically segregated from the community. This is a breach of their right to live in the community.

MDAC is asking the Commission to refrain from spending European taxpayers’ money on cementing human rights violations. The Commission must take all appropriate legislative, administrative and other measures to make sure the Convention is implemented, and this means it should bring laws, regulations and funding mechanisms in line with the Convention.

”There is no such thing as a good institution. Spending European taxpayers’ money to fund segregation and discrimination mocks the very notion of human rights,” said Oliver Lewis, MDAC Executive Director. “We call on the European Commission to condition its funding on service options which are in full compliance with international human rights law.”

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities examined Hungary’s compliance with the Convention in September 2012. It said that the government needs to re-examine the allocation of funds, including EU funds, dedicated to the provision of support services for persons with disabilities, and ensure the full compliance with the provisions of Article 19 of the Convention. The Hungarian government is ignoring this recommendation. The Committee has asked the Hungarian government to report back by September 2013 about progress it has made. The European Commission should not put itself in a position that it too, as well as the Hungarian government, is actively violating human rights.

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