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Serbia: State Backs Deinstitutionalization of People with Intellectual Disabilities
[Last updated Thursday, January 11, 2007]
Belgrade and Budapest- Serbia this week endorsed a groundbreaking project for the deinstitutionalization of people with intellectual disabilities. It is the first state in Central and Eastern Europe to take concrete steps to develop community-based support services on a national scale.
The deinstitutionalization initiative, called the "Community for All Initiative: Serbia", is part of a joint effort between the Open Society Mental Health Initiative (OSMHI) and the Serbian Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy. Judith Klein, Director of OSMHI, and Slobodan Laloviç, the Serbian Minister of Labor, signed on Wednesday a Memorandum of Understanding outlining a comprehensive plan that will be implemented by the Ministry in partnership with OSMHI and the Down Syndrome Aid Society Serbia beginning on January 1, 2007.
"This agreement marks the most significant step forward in promoting the human rights of people with intellectual disabilities in Serbian history," stated Klein.
The "Community for All Initiative: Serbia," will significantly improve the quality of life and services for persons with intellectual disabilities who are in imminent danger of admission to long stay residential institutions and for those people who currently reside in such institutions in Serbia. The project is Serbia's initial effort to foster a widespread network of family-scale support services with the goal of eliminating the need for institutional care.
Currently, a key political objective for Serbia is membership in the European Union. In order to join the E.U., a nation must be judged to follow democratic principles, respect human rights, and make progress towards meeting economic, social and political criteria. Deinstitutionalization and the development of community-based alternatives promote social inclusion and respect for the human rights of all citizens, both essential components of European Union membership.
"People with intellectual disabilities have the right to live in the community as equal citizens, and our agreement today is evidence of the Ministry's commitment to ensuring that social inclusion of all people becomes a reality in Serbia" said Ljubomir Pejakoviç, Assistant to the Minister.
The need for deinstitutionalization and community-based services is also recognized at the global level. The recent United Nations Draft Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities affirms the right of people with disabilities to live included in the community, to have an opportunity to choose their place of residence, and to have access to community-based services. Once finalized, the Draft Convention will be the first international legally binding convention on the rights of people with disabilities. Serbia is expected to sign and ratify the Convention and will therefore be bound by its terms. Implementing the "Community for All Initiative: Serbia" will place Serbia in a leading position in terms of compliance with the Convention.
The signing of the agreement between OSMHI and the Serbian Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Policy demonstrates an understanding that the unjustified and inappropriate institutionalization of people with intellectual disabilities must come to an end. Serbia's initiative is unprecedented in Central and Eastern Europe, and should serve as a model for other countries wishing to promote the human rights of all citizens.
Source: Open Society Mental Health Initiative Press Release, 1 December 2006
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