ABSTRACT
In many countries, children with disabilities are often deprived of their liberty, separated from family environments, and confined to institutions or locked away in so-called health-care facilities in the name of care and treatment. The reasons for this isolation vary: stigma, lack of awareness and a dearth of support services for children and their families all play a role. Inside institutions in several countries, Human Rights Watch has documented that children with disabilities often face serious neglect and abuse, including beatings and psychological violence, sexual violence, involuntary and inappropriate medical treatment, use of abusive physical restraints, seclusion and sedation, denial of education and denial of regular contacts with families. These abuses can severely impede their physical, intellectual, emotional, and social development, and these harmful impacts are not limited to contexts in which the worst abuses take place. Global research has shown that children develop best with strong and supportive relationships in a safe and nurturing family-like environment. Children with disabilities are entitled to protection from violence, neglect, exploitation, and abuse, and have the right to be cared for by their parents or within family-like settings. Violence and neglect toward children living in institutions should end and governments should develop effective and accessible community services, including health care, child care support, inclusive education. When governments invest in community-based services and support, children with disabilities can live with their families and be a part of their communities instead of behind locked doors.