Sweeping legal decision orders reparations for thousands of children and adults with disabilities wrongly detained in Guatemala;
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights orders protections against violence and abuse; support for community inclusion
"I do not want others to suffer from the humiliation and abuse that I did. I have never been the same since I was locked up and violated." – Ricardo Kostelecki, former Federico Mora detainee
"The health and safety of women and girls are top concerns in our work. We celebrate this decision because it orders authorities to work with survivors of rape and sexual violence to create new protections." – Priscila Rodríguez, Director, DRI Women’s Health and Justice Initiative
Washington, DC – The Inter-American Commission just announced a decision against Guatemala in the case of Federico Mora Patients v. Guatemala that sets legal precedent to protect people with disabilities in Guatemala and throughout the Americas. The case was brought by Disability Rights International (DRI) and the Guatemalan Colectivo Vida Independiente, joined by the Center for Health and Human Rights, O’Neill Institute of Georgetown University Law Center.
“This decision represents the outcome of a long struggle by disability rights activists in Guatemala with help from DRI,” said Silvia Quan, Director of the Colectivo, “It gives us hope that finally our rights are being enforced through international law.”
The decision orders reparations for more than 3,000 children and adults who experienced violence, abuse, wrongful detention, and sex trafficking at the facility. The Inter-American Commission demands that Guatemala end detention at the facility and create a national system of community-based care and access to justice for victims of abuse. It strikes down Guatemala’s guardianship law and orders the country to create a new system of supported decision-making.
"This groundbreaking legal precedent will liberate children and adults with disabilities from segregation in institutions." - Eric Rosenthal, Disability Rights International
"This decision will reverberate throughout the Americas." - Silvia Seranno-Guzmán, O’Neill Institute, Georgetown University Law Center
DRI is grateful to the many individual and foundation funders that have supported our litigation on this historic case – as well as the volunteers and experts who helped us out. We are grateful to the Tinker and Tawingo Foundations for funding training and capacity building for policymakers, professionals, and civil society to advance needed reforms in Guatemala.
We could not do it without your support.