DEFIENCE AND BAD WILL IN THE CASE OF LITTLE ALEXIA

DEFIENCE AND BAD WILL IN THE CASE OF LITTLE ALEXIA

Some children do not “correspond to the politics” in Romania's refined schools

Bucharest, the 22^nd of April 2013. The European Center for the Rights of Children with Disabilities (CEDCD) has informed the School Inspectorate of Bucharest about restricting little Alexia’s access to education.

Alexia is 8 years and 3 months old and is diagnosed with hypothalamic tumor that has spinal metastases, operated 4 years ago and being assigned a grave degree of disability. Despite the diagnostic and through great efforts form the parents, today the little girl has is at the level of mental development of a 6-7 year old, being verbal and independent in most social activities.

In this context, the girl’s mother has started the course of enrolling the child to the primary cycle of education. She has addressed the Bucharest Center for Educational Assistance and Resource (CMBRAE), who has the obligation to issue school guidance for the little girl, either to a mainstream school or a special school. CMBRAE has avoided making a guidance transferring towards the mother the responsibility of finding a school “willing”to accept little Alexia.

In good faith, the little girl’s mother has made three successive attempts to enroll her daughter to school, the last attempt being a College in Bucharest (unit to which their residence belongs to), resulting in categorical denials. The College Board told the mother that the school’s “politics”can not allow such a child in its unit, even if the child has an attendant, moreover that the child presence will disrupt the educational process because “the children will look at the attendant and will cease to pay attention to the teacher”.

“This is one of the many examples of the difficulties parents of children with disabilities face. We draw attention over the fact that the mother was the victim of a flagrant violation of her child’s rights form both CMBRAE and the College.It is inadmissible that, in a 2013 Romania, the rights of children with disabilities are still considered by authorities a form of goodwill. Children with disabilities are not and should not be the object of public mercy. They are owners of inalienable rights established by national and international legislation. I firmly believe that every parent has to be aware of these rights and should claim them when authorities are silent or defiant. It is the only way to build a future filled of normality for our children”, says Madalina TURZA, president of CEDCD

The European Center for the Rights of Children with Disabilities assists little Alexia’s case and will monitor it until the effective acquisition of her rights.

E-mail: madalina.turza@cedcd.ro/old

Mob: +40737545955

Tel/Fax: +40213110401

www.cedcd.ro/old