Launching Project ‘Children’s Rights for All’: Monitoring the Implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child for Children with Intellectual Disabilities

PRESS RELEASE: Brussels, 11 February 2010

There are around one million children with intellectual disabilities aged between 0-17 throughout the European Union. These children often find themselves subject to discrimination and exclusion from society, and are frequently denied the right to good quality education, healthcare, recreation and services. In many cases, their families are also subject to discrimination and are denied access to adequate financial and emotional support.

In December 2009, Inclusion Europe, together with Eurochild and Charles University in Prague, launched a two-year project to analyze through research conducted in the 27 Member States the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) from the perspective of children with an intellectual disability.

The project was awarded funding under the European Commission programme DAPHNE, an initiative which aims to support organisations to develop measures and actions to prevent or combat all violence against children, young people and women and to protect the victims and groups at-risk.

In the first phase of the project, a research tool will be developed by our researcher at the Charles University, comprising five different themes:

1. Access to education
2. The family and de-institutionalization
3. Health care
4. Promotion and participation of children
5. Abuse (physical, verbal, bullying)

The national experts selected for the project will then be trained on the methodology and will produce national reports in their own language, to be subsequently translated into English. The European Comparative Report will then draw together these national reports, with the use of indicators and benchmarks, on the basis of which Policy Recommendations will be developed.

The final European Conference on Children’s Rights in Brussels in 2011 at the end of the project will see the launch of the national reports, the European Comparative Report and Policy Recommendations for impact at national and European level. It is expected to attract around 200 participants, including members of the European Commission and the European Parliament, disability activists, national experts, representatives of NGOs and international and European experts and stakeholders.

Inclusion Europe, Eurochild and Charles University are thrilled to embark upon the project, which will strive to empower children with intellectual disabilities by lobbying for a higher impact of the Convention on the Rights of the Child for children with intellectual disabilities, bringing the 20-year-old treaty into line with the new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The project website: www.childrights.eu will be available shortly, where you will be able to find news updates about the project, as well as all national reports, the European Comparative Report and Policy Recommendations towards the final phase of the project.

For more information please contact:

Magdi Birtha
Project Officer
Inclusion Europe
http://www.inclusion-europe.eu/
Tel: +32 2 502 28 15
Fax: +32 2 502 80 10
E-mail: m.birtha@inclusion-europe.org

Björn Becker
Information and Communication Officer
Eurochild
www.eurochild.org
Tel.: +32 2 211 05 53
Fax: +32 2 511 72 98
E-mail: bjoern.becker@eurochild.org