NYT Op-Ed: Stop Abduction of Ukrainian Children
DRI President Laurie Ahern's letter to the New York Times, regarding children with disabilities during Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
DRI’s work and media campaigns have exposed to the world the horrors these children face. The New York Times, The Guardian, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, social media, ABC, NPR, NBC, news and documentaries – just to name a few - have continually covered DRI’s work, including DRI’s opinion and editorial pieces, resulting in uninterrupted pressure on those who have the power to assist in making change.
Senate Briefing & Reception
Celebrating International Day of Disability and the International Children with Disabilities Protection Act
Bipartisan Senators Introduce International Children with Disabilities Protection Act in US Congress
This bill represents everything we’ve been working on for over two decades. All children — especially children with disabilities — need our support to live and grow up in a loving family. And they need protection against being placed in orphanages or other institutions.
— Laurie Ahern, President, Disability Rights International
UN CRPD Committee Approves New Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization, including times of emergency.
Dragana Ciric Milovanovic, DRI European Program Director, addressed the UN CRPD Committee on September 9th, on the release of the new UN Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization. Dragana led DRI's collaboration with the CRPD Committee to draft the guidelines, which provide a roadmap to governments, disability activists, and donors about the immediate steps needed to end the practice of institutionalization and residential treatment or care for people with disabilities.
BBC followed Disability Rights International into Ukraine institutions for children with disabilities
"The billions of dollars of international aid being pumped into Ukraine during the war should also be used to shut down orphanages, support families to care for their children and build a community that accepts disability," says Eric Rosenthal, Executive director of DRI.
NBC News Highlights DRI's Work in Ukraine
Russia's War Creates Orphanage Crisis In Ukraine
More than 11 million people have fled Ukraine as a result of Russia's invasion. But many of most the vulnerable — mentally and physically disabled children — have been left behind.
Side event: Lessons learned from Ukraine: Implementing the right to live in the community for children and adults in institutions during a time of war and emergency
United Nations, 15th session of Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
Friday, June 17, 2022 10:00-11:15 EST |
New Report: Left Behind in the War: Dangers Facing Children with Disabilities in Ukraine's Orphanages
In late April 2022, Disability Rights International (DRI) brought a team of people with disabilities and family activists, including medical and disability service experts, to visit Ukraine’s institutions for children with disabilities. DRI finds that Ukraine’s children with disabilities with the greatest support needs are living in atrocious conditions – entirely overlooked by major international relief agencies and receiving little support from abroad.
DRILifeSaver: Protect Children and Adults with Disabilities in Ukraine’s Institutions
We need your help. Our DRI staff in Ukraine are jeopardizing their lives to help children with disabilities who are at risk of being trafficked, abandoned, and left to die. Please spread the word about needs and abuses that can be reported at www.DRILifeSaver.org.