In a letter addressed to Ms Lia-Olguța Vasilescu, Minister of Labour and Social Justice of Romania, published today, the Commissioner recommends that the government renew its co-operation with expert non-governmental organisations in order to enhance monitoring of institutions providing care to persons with disabilities.
“Since 1 July, experts of the Center for Legal Resources (CLR) have been unable to visit institutions because the authorities have not renewed the Memorandum of Understanding concluded with CLR in 2013. Although a Monitoring Council has been established to review the national implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRDP), this body is not yet operational. This lack of effective monitoring puts the human rights of persons with disabilities in institutions at serious risk, and may lead to violations of the UNCRPD and the European Convention on Human Rights. I therefore recommend the restoration of the Memorandum of Understanding, or the setting up of another form of collaboration between the authorities and CLR, which would allow the latter and other expert organisations to continue their monitoring”, writes the Commissioner.