During today's plenary session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), MEP Mr. Costis Efstathiou participated in a debate on the deinstitutionalisation of people with disabilities.
In his speech, Mr Efstathiou stressed that the practice of confinement in care facilities is no longer an acceptable option. Our vulnerable fellow citizens should have the support and freedom they deserve, so that they are able to enjoy their human rights, whatever the cost, the Cypriot MP noted.
Efstathiou stressed the need for societies to move towards inclusive and holistic ways of supporting people with disabilities. The provision of social housing should be accompanied by the development of targeted social services, based on the inclusion and participation of these people, as well as 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 member states of the Council of Europe should promote the necessary legislation to end the institutionalization of people with disabilities and to use other more modern approaches that actually establish dignified and independent living.
(SX)
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