CEDCD was awarded the VIP Awards Gala prize -“People of Change”

THE VOICE OF CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES HAS BEEN HEARD AT THE V.I.P AWARDS GALA

The European Centre for the Rights of Children with Disabilities (CEDCD) wins the second consecutive award for the activity in promoting the rights of children with disabilities in Romania.

Tuesday, the 15^thof January 2013, during the 12^thedition of VIP Awards Gala , the European Centre for the Rights of Children with Disabilities was awarded the Gala prize - “People of Change”- Science and Life section. This award represents the second public recognition CEDCD received on the line of promoting the rights of children with disabilities, in Romania. The first prize was awarded to our organization during the Romanian Disability Gala,in December 2012.

“This second award honors us in a special way and makes us even more responsible because it reaffirms the acute need of change for the children with disabilities in the Romanian society.  

I am happy that through seriousness and hard work, after less than 2 years, the CEDCD project, born out of the wish of a mother whose child ,born with disabilities, was daily forced to face indifference, abuse and discrimination, I succeeded, together with my team, in opening a way towards respect and effective rights for these children.

In less then 2 years we have created legal precedents, earned rights for our children, reported abuses and discriminations and more importantly we brought a ray of hope for the parents of children with disabilities. My team and I talked to hundreds of parent, went across the country, did field work and beside informing, we tried to generate <empowerment>, we tried to rebuild the trust people had in their rights, rights that they shouldn’t give up on and that don’t make the object to free will.

Form a different perspective, through our work, our campaigns and events we managed to bring forth into public discussion disability issues, which opens the way to a profound change in this field.

We thank everyone who supported us one way or another: parents, partners, collaborators and finally we thank the journalists and our media partners for understanding the importance of this approach”, says Madalina Turza, president of CEDCD.

The purpose of all CEDCD actions is to promote through a large advocacy project called “One Voice for Disability”, a new bill for the rights of children with disabilities, supported by a national coalition of the civil society with mandate in the field.

The purpose of “One Voice for Disability” project is, that through an extensive advocacy campaign and a series of public events that will be organized throughout 2013 and with the support of our coalition partners, to open a constructive dialogue with the state authorities and the decision makers so that we can generate a profound change in the protection and assistance of children with disabilities system.