Washington, DC–January 10, 2014– BBC World News today aired a report publicizing the findings of Disability Rights International‘s (DRI) investigation into human rights abuses against children and adults with disabilities in the Republic of Georgia.    “Georgia has become one of the first ex-Soviet republics to abolish state orphanages in favour of foster care. But disabled children […]

David Sergienko Minister of Labor, Health and Social Affairs Government of the Republic of Georgia Dear Mr. Sergienko: On Monday, December 16, Disability Rights International (DRI), a Washington-DC based human rights organization, released a report, “Left Behind: The Exclusion of Children and Adults with Disabilities from Reform and Rights Protection in the Republic of Georgia.” […]

For information contact: Eric Rosenthal, Executive Director, DRI Telephone: +1-202-361-9195 (erosenthal@driadvocacy.org) Eric Mathews: Advocacy Associate, DRI Telephone: +1-202-320-0232 (emathews@driadvocacy.org) Tbilisi, Georgia – December 16, 2013 – Disability Rights International, an international human rights organization based in Washington, DC, released a report today documenting atrocious human rights violations in the Republic of Georgia’s orphanages and institutions […]

October 22nd, 2013 — Washington, DC — The New York Times today published an article profiling the Colectivo Chuhcan, Mexico’s first human rights advocacy organization led by persons with psychiatric disabilities. Disability Rights International (DRI) established the Colectivo in 2011 and helped the group spin off as an independent human rights organization. Today’s New York […]

August 10th, 2013 — Washington, DC — The Washington Post on Saturday published an Op-Ed written by Disability Rights International’s (DRI) President Laurie Ahern calling for a paradigm shift in how the world acts to protect vulnerable children. Read the Op-Ed here. Aid agencies, churches and governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars to build […]

July 24, 2013–Kyiv, Ukraine– Disability Rights International (DRI) is proud to announce the creation of its newest advocacy office in Kyiv, Ukraine. DRI also has regional offices in the Balkans, based in Serbia, and the Americas, based in Mexico City.   DRI-Ukraine is affiliated with DRI but is locally-controlled by Ukrainian advocacy leaders. DRI’s presence […]

 Mexico City, Mexico- July 16, 2013 – Disability Rights International (DRI) and partners in Mexico presented an amicus brief last week to the Mexican Supreme Court in the case of Ricardo Adair, a 24-year old Mexican youth with Asperger Syndrome. Ricardo has lived under the legal guardianship of his parents since 2007, when a judicial […]

London – June 26, 2013 – Disability Rights International Ambassador and UK actress Holly Valance, along with her husband Nick Candy and Camilla and Celestine Clauson, also patrons of DRI, accompanied DRI on a recent trip to Eastern Europe to visit institutions and promote the Worldwide Campaign to End the Institutionalization of Children. As a […]

“The detention of children in institutions is a fundamental human rights violation. We can bring it to an end, on a worldwide scale, through a moratorium on new placements.” -DRI Perspective in 2013 UNICEF State of the World’s Children Report Click here to read DRI’s contribution to UNICEF’s report.