A court in Hungary has found three state authorities responsible for human rights violations against persons with disabilities living in a residential institution.
The case concerned grave violations of the rights of 220 adults and children with disabilities detained in the notorious Topház Social Care Home. The ruling found severe violations of the residents’ rights to:
- personal freedom
- human dignity
- habilitation
- rehabilitation
- early intervention
- education, and
- health
This judgement is a significant step forward in clarifying the responsibility of state authorities to prevent cases of abuse in institutions.
The judgment rendered on 28 February upheld that three state authorities were at fault for allowing the continuation of these abuses: the Directorate-General for Social Affairs and Child Protection, the Pest County Government Office, and the Ministry of Culture and Innovation.
The claim was brought to the Budapest Capital Court by the Validity Foundation, which first exposed the shocking abuses taking place in Topház Social Care Home in 2017. Back then, Validity documented the persistence of filthy living conditions, violence, torture and ill-treatment, malnutrition and the use of makeshift restraints.
Despite the significance of this latest court decision, claims from the Validity Foundation against a number of other defendants were unfortunately not upheld. These include claims against the Charitable Service of the Order of Malta, the service provider that took over the management of the institution after the former director was fired.
The institution still houses a number of victims of the reported abuses yet refuses Validity Foundation’s access to the premises to monitor the current situation.
Read a full report on the case on the Validity’s Foundation website.