PRESS RELEASE Mental Disability Advocacy Center / Bulgarian Helsinki Committee    Council of Europe: Bulgaria violates right to education for children with disabilities 13 October 2008, Budapest (Hungary), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Strasbourg (France)   ˇ European Committee of Social Rights decides case of Mental Disability Advocacy Center v. Bulgaria ˇ Landmark decision finds violations of the right to education and right to non-discrimination ˇ First case of its kind in central and eastern Europe  ˇ up to 3,000 Bulgarian children affected  ˇ Policy implications across Europe The European Committee of Social Rights (a Council of Europe body responsible for adjudicating complaints under the European Social Charter) has found government-sanctioned segregation and discrimination against children in Bulgaria, a country which joined the European Union in 2007. The case was lodged on behalf of thousands of institutionalised children by the Mental Disability Advocacy Center and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee. The Committee's decision noted that legislation and policies remain unimplemented and unmonitored, and that: ˇ the Bulgarian government has failed to provide education for up to 3,000 children with intellectual disabilities living in so-called 'homes for mentally disabled children' across Bulgaria. ˇ mainstream schools are neither accessible nor adaptable to children in 'homes for mentally disabled children'. ˇ teacher training, curricula and teaching resources fail to address the special learning needs of children with intellectual disabilities. ˇ as a result, only 6.2% of children in 'homes for mentally disabled children' receive an education - compared to 94% of Bulgarian children in general. ˇ the disparity between school attendance for children with and without disabilities is so great that it constitutes discrimination against children with intellectual disabilities living in 'homes for mentally disabled children'. Welcoming the decision, Oliver Lewis, the Executive Director of the Mental Disability Advocacy Center, the NGO which took the case against Bulgaria, said "To reverse the denial of these children's right to inclusive education and their right to live in the community, the Bulgarian government must now commit to a results-based action plan and allocate adequate funding to implement the plan." Krassimir Kanev, Executive Director of the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, a leading human rights NGO, added, "Within Bulgaria there are a few fantastic examples of services run by civil society organisations which ensure that children with disabilities are included in the community and are provided with specialist assistance in regular schools. Our and other civil society organisations look forward to helping the government to ensure that the right to education is respected in relation to all children." -- information for journalists -- For more details and to set up interviews, contact (in English) Victoria Lee, Legal Officer at the Mental Disability Advocacy Center, tel +36 1 413 2730, mdac@mdac.info or (in Bulgarian) Aneta Genova, Bulgarian attorney at the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee, tel +3592 943 4876, bhc@bghelsinki.org.   Information on the case The full text of Mental Disability Advocacy Center v. Bulgaria is available for download here, and MDAC's summary and recommendations are available here. European Committee of Social Rights The European Committee of Social Rights is the supervisory body of the European Social Charter, a human rights instrument established by the Council of Europe in 1961, and revised in 1996, which guarantees social and economic rights. States Party to the European Social Charter submit periodic reports to the ECSR on their progress in securing social rights in their jurisdiction. The Mental Disability Advocacy Center is registered as one of the international non-governmental organisations which are entitled to file 'collective complaints' to the ECSR alleging violations of the rights inscribed within the Charter. For more information, click  here. Mental Disability Advocacy Center The Mental Disability Advocacy Center advances the human rights of adults and children with actual or perceived intellectual or psycho-social disabilities. Focusing on Europe and central Asia, we use a combination of law and advocacy to promote equality and social integration. We have participatory status with the Council of Europe. Our vision is for a world that values emotional, mental and learning differences, and where people respect each other's autonomy and dignity. Contact: Mental Disability Advocacy Center / Rákóczi út 27/b, 1088 Budapest, Hungary / tel: +36 1 413 27 30 / fax: +36 1 413 27 39 / email: mdac@mdac.info / web: www.mdac.info. Bulgarian Helsinki Committee The Bulgarian Helsinki Committee is an independent non-governmental organisation for the protection of human rights. Its objectives are to promote respect for the human rights of every individual, to stimulate legislative reform to bring Bulgarian legislation in line with international human rights standards, to trigger public debate on. human rights issues, to carry out advocacy for the protection of human rights, and to popularise and make widely available human rights instruments. Contact: Bulgarian Helsinki Committee / Varbitsa 7, 1504, Sofia, Bulgaria / tel/fax: + 3592 943 4876 / email: bhc@bghelsinki.org, web: www.bghelsinki.org. -- ends -- Donate securely The Mental Disability Advocacy Center (MDAC) advances the human rights of children and adults with actual or perceived intellectual or psycho-social (mental health) disabilities. Focusing on Europe and Central Asia, we use a combination of law and advocacy to promote equality and social integration. MDAC has participatory status with the Council of Europe. MDAC's vision is for a world that values emotional, mental and learning differences, and where people respect each other's autonomy and dignity. Mental Disability Advocacy Center Rákóczi út 27/B, 1088 Budapest, Hungary Tel: + 36 1 413 27 30, fax: +36 1 4 13 27 39 Email: mdac@mdac.info, web: www.mdac.info

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