From July 2003 to August 2007, MDRI has documented a broad array of human rights violations against people with disabilities, segregated from society and forced to live out their lives in institutions (all observations in this report are from December 2006 through August 2007 except as noted). Filthy conditions, contagious diseases, lack of medical care and rehabilitation, and a failure to provide oversight renders placement in a Serbian institution life-threatening.

This report documents the treatment of people with mental disabilities in internationally funded public mental health and social services in Kosovo. The report relies on international human rights conventions to which the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and local government authorities in Kosovo have binding obligations, with particular reference to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR).