Two years after the launch of the Hotline 080010808 as a pilot project to ensure the access of disabled persons and their families to information, legal assistance services and psychological counseling, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection decided to borrow the initiative of civil society and will make it nationwide, IPN reports.
Vasile Cușca, head of the Ministry’s Division of Policies on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, told a news conference that the service will be available round-the-clock throughout this week. The calls will be free and could be made from all over the country, from any landline or mobile phone. The persons with hearing impairments could report cases of violation of their rights by short messages. “By this service, we aim to prevent and reduce the number of cases of violation of the rights of persons with disabilities. All the identified cases will be redirected to the competent authorities and institutions for dealing with them,” stated Vasile Cușca.
Parascovia Munteanu, Keystone Moldova program director, said that when the service was launched in January 2017, the persons with disabilities were told about their rights and how to report a situation of abuse. Fifteen mobile phones were distributed to persons identified as leaders in six residential institutions. These leaders pledged to monitor the observance of the rights of the persons with disabilities in these institutions.
Irina Pădure, of the Alliance of Organizations for Persons with Disabilities, said that initially the service was intended for persons from residential institutions and psychiatric hospitals, but was in time extended to cover those from the communities. During two years, most of the calls were made by persons from psychiatric residential institutions, who reported cases of abuse and violence. The callers from communities mainly asked for information as to how they can benefit from social allowance and were to go to collect them.
Speaking about the two-year piloting period, Nelea Panfil, Keystone Moldova project coordinator, said 5% of the callers reported serious cases of abuse and violence where immediate intervention is required as the health and even the life of the person was in danger. The persons with disabilities, when they directly notify the authorities, are often not taken seriously, especially when these persons have speech impairments and are treated as being under the influence of alcohol. The calls made to the Hotline 080010808 are processed and transmitted to the competent institutions. It is often enough for a consultant of the service to call the institution about which a complaint is made and the problem is solved.
