The Centre for Legal Resources, a non-governmental human rights organisation, in partnership with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, developed within the AdaptJust project – Accessible Justice for Persons with Disabilities – a mobile application, Ceasul bun, designed for persons with disabilities confined in social care homes, medical-social units and psychiatric wards or hospitals.
Why do we need a complaints app?
For more than 20 years, during unannounced monitoring visits as part of the Advocate for Dignity programme, we have documented countless cases of persons with disabilities who are denied their human rights and dignity.
The situation of persons confined in social care homes in Ilfov County has brought to light a nationwide problem regarding the rights of institutionalised persons with disabilities, which the CRJ has repeatedly raised over the years, namely the impossibility to complain when you are a victim of abuse.
In Ilfov County, 100 persons had no tool to complain: phone, tablet, form, sheet, pen. In Romania, another 50,000 persons from the same vulnerable group face the same barrier: little or no access to the justice system.
The application we are launching, Ceasul bun, in the form of an accessible questionnaire, responds to a need identified in more than 20 years of expertise in the field: the effective lack of appropriate tools through which persons in vulnerable categories (with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, but also those with neurological disorders, mainly institutionalised) can have access to justice (be able to make complaints about criminal acts of which they are victims, claim their rights or request a reassessment of their current protective measures).
Eli and Tibi show you step by step how Ceasul bun works [RO]
Everyone should have the right to complain, especially persons in such privative institutions. However, most persons in institutions do not have a mobile phone/do not have access to a mobile phone. The JRC will purchase 60 phones and distribute them to centres and/or hospitals and psychiatric wards. However, we know that such a measure cannot logistically respond to the need identified in the field. Therefore:
- CLR will ask the Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Health to allocate funds so that, similar to other places of deprivation of liberty, there is at least one phone or tablet (or other electronic device) in each room that can be given to residents in order to complain
- The CLR considers that it is necessary that the licensing standards for all social and health services, public or private, for young persons, adults or the elderly, should include a requirement to provide access to a telephone/tablet for residents to complain about any situation.
What does the app do? Is it accessible?
Ceasul Bun mobile app is dedicated to helping institutionalised persons or employees in social care homes, hospitals or other such institutions to report situations of physical or emotional abuse or neglectful treatment. As persons with intellectual disabilities and those with neurological conditions constitute the main group of users, the application is accessible in terms of vocabulary and navigation. Beyond the easy-to-navigate process and simple components, the app has an integrated screen reader in its interface and a recording function that turns speech into text. In addition to the reporting part, there is also an education resource area where detailed information about different types of abuse as well as emergency hotline numbers can be found.
How do I use the app modules?
The mobile app has four modules:
- Ask for help – accessible form for submitting complaints/complaints
- Information – useful information about the complaint and response process
- Support resources – educational resources for users
- About the app – information about the app, how to use it and its purpose
Ask for help
There are three types of complaints that can be made in the app. Persons with disabilities can choose between:
- Something bad happened to me
- I want to be moved from my current location
- I want to go to court
What else can I find in the app?
Information, Support Resources
In the “Information” and “Support Resources” sections any user has access to listen or read information on different topics in order to understand if the situations they are going through are abuses and if their rights are not respected.
Where can I find the application?
PlayStore, for Android devices
AppStore, for iOS devices
The developer of Ceasul bun app is the non-governmental organization Code for Romania, which will ensure the future maintenance and continuous development of the digital solution. The innovative features of the application are provided by its design, which was developed with input from direct beneficiaries – persons with different types of disabilities, but also from support persons, psychologists, social workers or lawyers.
The application is part of AdaptJust – Accessible Justice for Persons with Disabilities, project implemented by the Centre for Legal Resources in partnership with the Public Prosecutor’s Office – High Court of Cassation and Justice, and benefits from a grant of €1,324,994 from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through EEA Grants under the Local Development Programme. The objective of the project is to facilitate access to justice for persons with intellectual disabilities and/or mental health problems.
Project implemented with the financial support of EEA Grants 2014 – 2021. Its content (text, photos, video) does not reflect the official opinion of the Programme Operator, the National Contact Point or the Financial Mechanism Office. The information and opinions expressed are the sole responsibility of the author(s). For official information on EEA or Norwegian Grants, please visit www.eeagrants.ro.
Media partner: Starea Natiei
