In Europe and Central Asia, children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to stigma and discrimination and are often isolated from the rest of society. Sometimes they are left out of national statistics and thus become “invisible” to decision makers, service providers, and the public.
While information about the 5.1 million (this is an approximate number) children with disabilities in the region remains scarce, we know that they face numerous violations of their rights, from a lack of early diagnosis to denial of access to education and participation in the community.
The violations of their rights are often very serious
The social isolation of children with disabilities is exacerbated if they already belong to another vulnerable group. Examples include a Roma girl with visible disabilities who was forced to beg in the streets, or a Syrian refugee child living in Turkey with disabilities whose family is at risk of poverty.
The violations of these children’s rights are often very serious: Globally, up to 68% of girls and 30% of boys with intellectual or mental disabilities are sexually abused before they turn 18.
There is a prevailing tendency to “fix” children with disabilities rather than to change attitudes toward them. There is a focus on medical responses to correct “defects” rather than broader support to help children reach their full potential.
The region lacks services to identify and diagnose a child’s disability at an early age and to provide individualized support to families. As a result, children with disabilities are often placed in residential care, an approach that is justified by the fact that “it would be better for them”. Globally, children with disabilities are almost 17 times more likely to end up in institutions than other children.
Because of stigma, many families hesitate to ask for help and information support
In Europe and Central Asia, millions of children with disabilities are believed to be out of school. Many are still denied access to mainstream education and are sent to so-called special schools. Some teachers still refuse to teach children with disabilities, and other parents fear that their child’s education will suffer if they have a classmate(s) with disabilities.
Many children and adolescents with disabilities are isolated from social activities and participation in the community; this problem is exacerbated by the lack of an environment for the disabled.
Due to stigma, many families hesitate to ask for help and information and end up unaware of their rights and accessible support. Relatives of a child with disabilities are exhausted trying to combine earning a living with caring for them; as a result, the risk of institutionalization increases.
Solution
UNICEF works to defend the rights of children with disabilities across Europe and Central Asia, from promoting the best possible ways of caring for such children, to supporting their education and participation in local life.
UNICEF supports services that work with families of young children to identify disabilities as early as possible and provide immediate assistance. This approach gives children a chance to reach their potential and not be separated from their families. Home foster care programs, an approach that includes child advocacy, health care, nutrition, and early childhood development, provide families with support and connect them to specialized services.
UNICEF is committed to making schools inclusive and child-centered, and we recognize that barriers to learning and participation are not the fault of a child’s disability, but the failure of schools to break down barriers.