The EU and its member states fail to protect people with disabilities living in institutions from violence and abuse, a new report by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) has found.
Published on Thursday (27 November), the report states that the bloc and national capitals are not upholding their obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
One -in-four adults across the EU — approximately 107 million people — has a disability, according to Eurostat. They face disproportionately high rates of fundamental rights violations, with European Council data showing that 17 percent of people with disabilities experience violence, compared to eight percent of those without disabilities.
The risk escalates further for the 1.4 million people with disabilities living in institutions.
The report identifies multiple forms of abuse, ranging from verbal aggression and excessive medication to physical and sexual assault.
Documented violations include forced medical treatments, inappropriate use of physical restraints, and economic exploitation of vulnerable individuals.
The report cites a woman with psychosocial and intellectual disability from Latvia: “We were punished by sending us to our rooms … We were placed behind locked doors. I was rampaging there and then I was locked in my room. And wasn’t even given any food … I said “Lunch, can you bring me lunch to my room?” “No!” Occasionally, they wouldn’t give us food if we were punished.”
Those at greatest risk include people with intellectual disabilities, children, women and elderly people.
The FRA calls for stronger legal protections, independent monitoring (with unannounced inspections), and the suspension of EU funds to institutions where abuse occurs. It also recommends safe reporting mechanisms for victims, mandatory training for staff and officials, and direct participation of people with disabilities in policy development.
The agency attributes much of the problem to systemic failures within institutions themselves.
Many facilities are understaffed and face limited resources. Many victims have come to view abuse as normal and are not aware of the rights they have as well as the channels available to help them report misconduct. This leads to a culture of silence and impunity.
According to the agency, the fundamental problem is institutionalisation itself. The report advocates for better community inclusion of people with disabilities rather than institutional placement.
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Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.
Hannah Kriwak is a junior reporter from Austria at EUobserver, covering European politics.