A training and rehabilitation centre in Velykyi Liuben. Photo: suspilne.
A number of serious violations of children’s rights, including cases of physical and psychological violence, as well as unacceptable methods of medical intervention, have been identified in the Velykolyubinsk Multidisciplinary Training and Rehabilitation Centre in Lviv Oblast. This was reported by a representative of the Verkhovna Rada Commissioner for Human Rights, Iryna Suslova, during a briefing on 11 November. It is reported by TimeUkraineIsrael with reference to Life.pravda.
Poor conditions of detention and education
The monitoring group that inspected the institution found a number of violations of the conditions of detention. At the time of the inspection, there were 57 children in the centre, including orphans, children deprived of parental care and children in difficult life circumstances.
Suslova noted that, despite the status of an educational institution, the children’s education at the centre was poor. In particular, no individual programmes had been developed for the children, which is necessary for the effective education of children with different needs. She personally observed lessons for middle school students, which showed the lack of a proper educational process.
Physical and psychological violence
One of the most outrageous facts revealed was the use of violence against children. One of the boys said that he considered caning to be a normal punishment, as breaking the rules, in his opinion, justified violent actions by the administration. In addition, children reported cases of intimidation, when they were threatened with being sent to a psychiatric hospital for any violations.
Medication intervention without justification
Particularly shocking was the information about the administration of drugs to children that lead to the loss of the ability to move. During the inspection of the personal files of the children, it was found that none of the children had a diagnosis that would justify hospitalisation in a psychiatric institution, which raises serious questions about the legality of such actions. The Ombudsman’s representatives called on the Ministry of Health to conduct an internal investigation and take appropriate measures.
Poor conditions and lack of maintenance
The state of basic conditions in the centre also leaves much to be desired. Children were not provided with basic hygiene products such as toothbrushes, toothpaste and toilet paper. The administration justified this by saying that “children eat toilet paper”, which is a completely unacceptable explanation.
Lack of adequate security
It was also found that there is no access control to the institution: the gates are always open, and anyone can enter the territory without hindrance.
Recommendations and next steps
Due to the numerous violations, the Ombudsman’s representatives recommended the creation of a group to assess the individual needs of each child to find out whether all children really need this type of institution. They also stressed the need to introduce special educational programmes for children with special needs.
This incident raises serious concerns about the state of institutions involved in the rehabilitation and education of children and calls into question the effectiveness of existing mechanisms for monitoring their activities.
