Children with disabilities
UNICEF upholds the rights of children with disabilities. We tackle the barriers that keep them isolated to ensure they stay with their families, get a good education and participate in community life.
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The challenge
Children with disabilities are often subjected to discrimination and become victims of stigma and segregation. Lack of adequate infrastructure and implementation of policies and legislation, many of them are ultimately barred from realizing their rights to education, protection, healthcare, and even social inclusion. They are less likely to attend school, access medical services, or have their voices heard in society. Their disabilities also place them at a higher risk of verbal or physical violence and abuse and may be placed in institutions if their families feel they cannot take care of them alone. The newly arrived refugee and migrant children with disabilities are also a great source of concern, as they face multiple challenges, often beyond the existing capacity of social care systems.
Data on children with disabilities in Greece often remains scarce, however we do know that they face multiple rights violations, ranging from a lack of early detection or diagnosis of their disabilities, to exclusion from education and participation in their communities.
Stigma may stop families from asking for help or information.
Millions of children with disabilities are thought to be out of school across Europe and Central Asia. Many are still excluded from mainstream education and consigned to so-called ‘special schools’. Some teachers still refuse to educate children with disabilities, and some parents fear that their children’s education will suffer if they share the classroom with a child who has a disability.
Stigma may stop families asking for help or information, leaving them unaware of their rights or of any support that is available. Families may struggle to balance earning a living with caring for a child with disabilities -- increasing the risk of institutionalization for the child.
The solution
In line with the government’s commitment to ensure a national strategy for an effective response to the challenges faced by persons with disabilities and the protection of their rights, UNICEF aims to assist in building a society where every child, no matter what physical or intellectual ability they have, can grow up healthy, protected from harm, educated and included in all aspects of the Greek society, so they can reach their full potential.
We aim to make schools inclusive and child-focused, recognizing that the obstacles to learning and participation are not the ‘fault’ of a child, but rather the capacity of schools to remove those obstacles. UNICEF is working with the government on a broader strategy of de-institutionalization with a view to promoting family-based and community based care and ensure children with disabilities have opportunities to grow up in a family-based environment with a view to supporting independent living.
