The practice of confinement in care facilities is no longer an acceptable option, MP Kostis Efstathiou said, noting that our vulnerable fellow citizens should have the support and freedom they deserve to be able to enjoy their human rights, whatever the cost.
According to a statement, Mr Efstathiou participated in a debate on the deinstitutionalisation of persons with disabilities during today's plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).
In his speech, Mr Efstathiou stressed the need for societies to move towards inclusive and holistic ways of supporting people with disabilities. Efstathiou, should be accompanied by the development of targeted social services, based on the inclusion and participation of these people, as well as by strategies designed on the basis of the specific needs of each person, in order to achieve a real transition to independent living.
Finally, Mr Efstathiou stressed that the parliaments of the Council of Europe member states should promote the necessary legislation to end the institutionalisation of people with disabilities and to make use of other more modern approaches.
