The report ‘Behind the Closed Doors: Children’s Dreams in Institutional Care’, published on Friday 18 October by the European Disability Forum in collaboration with a number of organisations - Save the Children Ukraine, the Ukrainian Children’s Rights Network, the European Disability Forum, Social Synergy, Voices of the Children, the Dyimo youth platform and the Ombudsman’s Office - reveals the aspirations of around 100 children with disabilities interviewed in five institutions in Ukraine.
Of these, 90% expressed the need for the presence of a stable, permanent adult, while 89% wanted more independence, particularly in terms of being able to move around freely. The study also reveals that children who are restrained often display worrying behaviours (self-mutilation, aggression), which improve with access to more enriching interactions.
The momentum generated by Ukraine’s accession to the EU has revitalised efforts to reform the child protection system.
The report calls for children’s voices to be incorporated into the reforms of the government’s strategy for 2024-2027 (see EUROPE 13409/8), which aims in particular to guarantee a family environment, with measures to facilitate deinstitutionalisation.
The report: https://aeur.eu/f/dz1 (Original version in French by Nithya Paquiry)