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

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