“Advocate for Dignity” Coalition

The project goal was to prevent human rights violations in institutions for people with mental disabilities and to ensure compliance with the requirements imposed by international treaties on mental health and child protection.

Results:

– 300 employees of 15 psychiatric hospitals and mental health departments of other hospitals have demonstrated a better understanding of the most important standards on respect for human rights for persons with mental disabilities
– 15 monitoring visits in psychiatric hospitals took place
– 10 working meetings with representatives of the central institutions responsible in the field (Ministry of Health, National Authority for Child Protection, National Authority for Disabled Persons, National Council for Fighting Discrimination, the Ministry of Justice) and 15 meetings with local authorities to promotion of mechanisms for monitoring and complaints were held
– social workers of the 15 institutions effectively applied the mechanism for monitoring the complaints
– approximately 2,000 people with mental disabilities in institutions and their families learned about their right to make complaints
– 20 local NGOs were trained to provide services for people with mental disabilities

Partners: The Motivation Romania and the Romanian National College of Social Work

Project implementation period: October 2006 – September 2007

Funding: World Learning for International Development

Budget: 68.680 USD