Romania, the National Strategy for the Special Protection and Social Integration of people with Disa

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Romania, the National Strategy for the Special
Protection and Social Integration of people with
Disabilities
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Historical context

• The Ceausescu era A raft of government policies
  over many years removal of people from their
  rural communities, forced birth policies, poor
  housing, a lack of value attached to anyone not
  perceived as capable of contributing to the
  economy, coupled with significant levels of
  poverty - led to the widespread practice of
  abandonment of babies into large, poorly staffed
  institutions.

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In the last 12 years

• a concerted effort of the Government to end this
  treatment especially of children.
• considerable investment from the international
  community, including the EU Phare assistance
  programmes, UNICEF, the World Bank and the Bank
  for the development of the European Council and
  well as many individual European governments and
  NGOs
• The effect of this support was diminished by the
  lack of a national strategy in the field of
  disability.

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European Union involvement

• European Union has been more and more involved in
  child protection reform, through PHARE programs
• in the 1999 Accession Partnership for Romania.
• The European Commissions 1999 Composite Paper on
  Progress Towards Accession by the Candidate
  Countries reaffirmed the principle that
  institutionalised childrens access to decent
  living conditions and basic health care is a
  human rights issue.

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Elaboration of the national Strategy

• February 2000, we took the incentive of setting
  up a group of 50 NGOs together with
  representatives of the State Secretariat for
  Persons with Handicap, the Ministry of Education,
  the Ministry of Health and The Ministry of Labor
  and Social Protection
• we have agreed on a draft of a National Strategy
  on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons
  with Handicap at a national conference where
  keynote speaker was UN Special Rapporteur on
  Disability, Mr. Bengt Lindqvist.

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Lobby for strategy

• Six month after the conference - a follow up
  workshop attended by Baroness Emma Nicholson of
  Winterbourne the European Parliament Rapporteur
  for Romania.
• Finally, the Romanian Government has approved on
  31st October 2002, the National Strategy for the
  Special Protection and Social Integration of
  Disabled People in Romania
• The adoption of this National Strategy is an
  example of good practice of public private
  partnership between the Government the State
  Secretariat for People with handicap - and NGOs.

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Nelson Mandela said

• After I climbed one hill, I discovered that
  there are lots of hills to climb in front of me.

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Twinning light project

• Finalisation of the Romanian National Strategy
  for Disabled Persons and Elaboration of the
  Action Plan for the period 2001-2005.

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The specific objectives of the project

• Adoption by the Government of the updated Draft
  National Strategy based on the models of the
  Member States strategies in accordance with EU
  legislation in the sector, the UN Standard Rules
  on the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons
  with Disabilities, the revised European Social
  Charter, the Convention of the International
  Labour Convention 159 on training and employment
  of persons with handicap

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• Elaborate the Action Plan for the implementation
  of the strategy on short and medium term,
  2002-2005, based on the priorities established in
  the evaluation report of the present situation in
  Romania. Special attention should be given to the
  closure of large old style camin spitals, by
  developing alternative social services and small
  scale residential care
• Institutional strengthening of the SSPH.