Liz calls for disabled people's rights in EU enlargement countries

2.57.11pm GMT Thu 20th Mar 2003

A West Midlands Euro-MP has successfully persuaded the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee to insist on anti-discrimination measures in the new EU enlargement countries to protect the civil liberties of disabled people.

Liz Lynne MEP helped draft an amendment, passed in committee yesterday, calling for particular efforts to combat and end human rights abuses of disabled people living in institutions in candidate countries. Fundamentally, it called for the dismantling of the institutionalisation approach in favour of integrated and community-based support measures for disabled people.

The Liberal Democrat, who is the Rapporteur for the European Year for Disabled People 2003, and has recently been chosen to draft a report on behalf of the Parliament for the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People, said:

"Many ex-communist countries have unfortunately retained a very medical and treatment-based approach to disabled people in their social and health services. All too often this has lead to perfectly healthy people being trapped in institutions rather than being encouraged to take control of their own lives and integrated into the local community."

"We can't expect miracles overnight, as years of prejudice and ignorance will take time to overcome. However, this only makes it all the more important that the EU takes a lead in starting the process to begin to turn this around. We cannot allow such views of disability to continue in 21st century Europe."