At least 10 million children around the world grow up without the love and care of a family in orphanages, institutions and “residential care.” More than a billion dollars a year in development and charity money supports orphanages, residential care, and group homes. DRI reports have documented abuse, neglect, trafficking and exploitation of these children. Now, more than 200 disability and children’s groups have joined together in a Call to Action to the United Nations, international development agencies and governments. Every child has the right – and should have the opportunity – to live and grow up with a family, not an orphanage or group home.
The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child met on September 16 & 17, 2021 and heard from experts and activists from around the world. As they consider new international standards for “alternative care,” please endorse the Call to Action. Join over 200 organizations and individuals calling for new standards to conform to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and demand full enforcement of the right to family life for all children.
For DRI’s analysis of the international law and policy recommendations, contact us at [email protected]. Organizations and individuals that have endorsed our Call to Action are listed below.
Signatories:
Autism Europe
Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law
Disability Rights International
ENIL - European Network for Independent Living
Inclusion International
International Disability Alliance
International Federation for Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus (IF)
Validity Foundation
Women Enabled International
U.S. International Council on Disabilities
Stahili
Lori E. Talsky Center for Human Rights of Women and Children at Michigan State University College of Law
Co-signatories:
Acodeta
Advocacy for community development organization in Tanzania
Amal Alliance
Angsa Campania
Asdown Colombia
Asociación Azul
Association d'Aide à l'Education de l'Enfant Handicapé ( AAEEH)
Association togolaise des aveugles
ASTRA Anti-trafficking Action
Autistic Minority International
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Belgrade Centre for Human Rights
BIDs Belgium
Bina Foundation Nigeria
Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled
Candle of Hope Foundation
Center for Inclusive Policy
Center for Outcome Analysis
Center for Public Representation
Centre for Disability Law and Policy, Galway
Centre for Independent Living, Bulgaria
Centre Living Upright
Centro Cultural Equidad y Genero
Child Rights Centre
Civil Association for Equality and Justice (ACIJ)
Coalition for monitoring child rights in Serbia (Child Rights Centre, Užice Child Rights Centre, Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, ASTRA — Anti Trafficking Action and Center for Social Policy)
Colectivo Vida Independiente de Guatemala
Collectif pour la promotion des droits des personnes en situation de handicap
Collective Impact
Commonwealth Children & Youth Disability Network (CCYDN)
Congo Handicap
Connecticut Institute for Social Entrepreneurship
Consumer Action Network Mental Health Lanka (CAN MH Lanka)
Corporacion CIMUNIDIS Chile
Disability Inclusive Development Programs and Services - DIDEPAS
Disability Law and Policy Program of Syracuse University College of Law
"Disability Rights Agenda" NGO - Armenia
Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF)
Disability Sausage Media & Consultancy
Disabled Peoples' International Europe DPI-E
Disabled Survivors Unite
Down Syndrome International
Dream of Bangladesh society
DRRA
Eastern Oregon Center for Independent Living (EOCIL)
Educom+ (The community for the plus in education)
Effective Basic Services (eBASE) Africa
ENTROPIA SOCIAL, A.C.
European Disability Forum
Family, Child, Youth Association (Család, gyermek, ifjúság Egyesület)
Family Kolping Prykarpattya
Family Power
Fédération Togolaise des Associations de Personnes Handicapées (FETAPH)
FemPlatz
FEMU Sinaloa
First Focus on Children
Friendship Foundation
Fundación Down 21 Chile
Fundacion transformar es preciso
Fundația de Abilitare Speranța, Timișoara
GatherBuildWork
Georgetown University Community Health Division
Georgian Academy of Childhood Disability
GERAKAN PEDULI DISABILITAS DAN LEPRA INDONESIA (GPDLI)
Global Campaign for Education
Global Campaign for Education-US
GlobalPartnersUnited
Handi-Social
Home Free
i-living - the Independent Living Organization of Greece
Include Me TOO
Inclusion Africa
International Charity Partnership for Every Child
International Child Rights Center
ISCSP_University of Lisbon
Keepers of the Circle
Kera Foundation
Keystone Human Services International
Korean Disability Forum
Light for the World
Malta Federation of Organisations Persons With Disability (MFOPD)
Matifadza Hydrocephalus Care Trust
Mental Disability Rights Initiative MDRI-S
Michigan Disability Rights Coalition
Miracle Foundation
National Association for Rights Protection and Advocacy
National Association of Intellectual Disabilities, Island
National Coalition for Latinxs with Disabilities
National Council on Independent Living
Naunau Alamaite Tonga Association
Network of Organizations for Children of Serbia MODS
Nigeria National Association of the Deaf, Jigawa State chapter
Not Dead Yet
Not Dead Yet UK
OCR ADAPTIVE ATHLETES
ONG Sociedad y Discapacidad - SODIS Perú
Organizando Trans Diversidades (Asociación OTD Chile)
Panhellenic Federation of Mental Health Organisations POSOPSI
Parents of Disabled Children Association of Malawi
Partnership for Early Childhood Development & Disability Rights (PECDDR)
Pennsylvania TASH ("PennTASH")
Prijatelji dece Srbije (Friends of Children of Serbia)
Redesfera Latinoamericana de la Diversidad Psicosocial
Rubeus Egyesület
Samantha’s Law
Samarthanam Trust for the disabled
Shanta Memorial Rehabilitation Centre
SinColectivo, agrupación plural mexicana de Personas Expertas por Experiencia y activistas en discapacidad psicosocial y Cultura Loca
Sinergias Alianzas Estratégicas - Proyecto ALCE
Social Development Programme (SODEP)
Social Economic Development Society [SEDS]
Social Synergy
Sociedad y Discapacidad - Perú
SOFT tulip Foundation
SPOON
Support Organization of Parents with Disabilities (SOPADI)
TASH
TeachAbility
Terre des hommes Foundation „Lausanne” in Hungary
The Arc of Northern Virginia
The Delia Foundation
The Disabled Empowerment Initiative of Liberia
The Intersectionality Network Ireland
The Matthew Foundation Inc
The Spectrum
The Swedish Disability Rights Federation
Transforming Communities for Inclusion (TCI)
Tushinde Children's Trust
Uganda Society for Disabled Children
Ukrainian Child Rights Network
Union of associations of persons with disabilities, Ethiopia
Union of Disabled People Organisations of Azerbaijan
Uzice Child Rights Centre
Vida independiente Andalucía
World Institute on Disability
Yayasan Setetes Embun
Individual endorsements:
Dr. Abigail Akande, Assistant Professor - Penn State University, Abington College
Áine Kelly-Costello, disability campaigner, European Network on Independent Living volunteer
Amalia Gamio, Independent expert in human rights of persons with disabilities
Ana Laura Aiello, researcher
Andrea Parra, Latin American Network on Art. 12
Angharad Beckett, PhD, FRSA, Professor of Political Sociology and Social Inclusion, Joint Director of the Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds, UK
Anna Lawson, PhD, Professor of Law, Joint Director of the Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds, UK
Anna Martin
Aster Fliers
BIAOU Romulus, Chargé de Programmes de la Fédération des Associations de Personnes Handicapées du Bénin
Brendan Boland, Asia Foundation
César Giménez Sánchez
Clíona de Bhailís, PhD Candidate, CDLP NUI Galway
Dr. David C. Deuel, Independent researcher for inclusion
David Geist
Dayanadis Sudhakar
Deepti Karan Weiss
Elizabeth Kerrigan
Elizabeth W. Bauer
Eric A. Friedman, Global Health Justice Scholar, O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University Law Center
Franke James
Gabor Petri
Gigi Michaels
Helen Irobo
Ijeoma Ezeude, University of Nigeria PHD student
Inés Guerrero
Jaakko Leppänen
Jade Presnell
Joan Kaufman, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Director of Research, Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress, Kennedy Krieger Institute
Johanna Smits
Josephine Sirotkin, Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds, UK
Kara Ayers, PhD
Katherine Tyson McCrea, Professor Loyola University Chicago School of Social Work
Koba Nadiradze - Member of the Consultative Council for the Promotion, Protection and Monitoring the Implementation of the UN CRPD at the Office of Public Defender of Georgia
Lucy Baxter
Marcia Yale
Margaret Nyambura Mburu- O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law
Mari Emilie Bertheussen
Marilyn Long
Marisa C. Brown
Mary F. Hayden, Ph.D. Researcher
Matteo Menozzi
Milica Mima Ruzicic – Novkovic
Dr Miro Griffiths
Mona Ghuneim
Mónica Marcela Cortinez, Persona con discapacidad baja Visión
Nancy Thaler
Paul Okpanachi: (Peyo World Disability Care Initiative [PWDCI] Kogi State Nigeria)
Dr Piers Gooding, University of Melbourne Law School
Rados Keravica, Early-Stage Researcher, University of Leeds, Centre for Disability Studies
Dr. Rácz Andrea
Sandra Padilla Zaldo
Scott F. Nolan, Massachusetts, USA
Tom Olin
Tomás Puentes León, PhD Researcher University of Leeds
Vera Kubenz, Research Fellow, University of Birmingham
Yusuke Onoe