PUBLIC DEFENDER OF GEORGIA PUBLIC DEFENDER OF GEORGIA NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM ANNUAL REPORT FOR 2010 MONITORING OF CHILDREN’S HOMES THE PUBLIC DEFENDER OF GEORGIA 2010 WWW.OMBUDSMAN.GE NPM Annual Report for 2010 1 The views of the publica on do not necessarily represent those of the Council of Europe and are the responsibility of the Na onal Preven ve Mechanism team of Georgia. The report was published with fi nancial support of the Council of Europe project, “Denmark’s Georgia Programme 2010-2013, Promo on of Judicial Reform, Human and Minority Rights”. DENMARK’S GEORGIA PROGRAMME 2010-2013 PROMOTION OF JUDICAL REFORMS, HUMAN AND MINORITY RIGHTS OF GEORGIA daniis saqarTvelos programa 2010-2013 THE PUBLIC sasamarTlo reformis, adamianisa da umciresobaTa uflebebis xelSewyoba DEFENDER saqarTveloSi OF GEORGIA 2 Monitoring of Children’s Homes PUBLIC DEFENDER OF GEORGIA CONTENTS CONDITIONS IN THE PENITENTIARY ESTABLISHMENTS IN GEORGIA AND TEMPORARY DETENTION ISOLATORS OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS Introduc on .......................................................................................................5 The Main Results of the Monitoring ................................................................... 5 The Monitoring Process ...................................................................................... 6 The changes introduced as a result of the monitoring of children’s homes by the Special Preven ve Group in 2010 ............................................................9 Violence against children .................................................................................... 10 Defi ni on of violence against children .......................................................... 11 The methodology of monitoring of violence against children ...................... 13 Inappropriate approach towards the violence against children .................... 14 Cases of violence in Children’s Homes .......................................................... 14 Child labor .........................................................................................................21 Discrimina on of children ..................................................................................21 Living condi ons................................................................................................. 22 Hea ng, ven la on and ligh ng ................................................................... 24 Sanitary and Hygienic Condi ons .................................................................. 25 Nutri on ........................................................................................................ 26 Purchase and the security of Products .......................................................... 27 Food Block ..................................................................................................... 28 Provision of potable water ............................................................................ 29 Medical Care ...................................................................................................... 29 Keeping the Medical Records ........................................................................ 30 Medical Cabinet ............................................................................................ 32 The establishment of the status of children with health problems ............. 32 Transfer of benefi ciaries for in-pa ent treatment and the con nuity of medical service ........................................................................ 33 NPM Annual Report for 2010 3 Further issues important for the Na onal Preven ve Mechanism....................... 34 Contact with the outside world..................................................................... 34 Security ......................................................................................................... 35 Psychological assistance ................................................................................ 36 Mechanisms of appeal ................................................................................. 39 Gaps in the process of entering the child ins tu on .................................... 40 Taking benefi ciaries temporarily out of the ins tu on ................................. 41 Pedagogical work and arts classes ................................................................ 43 Repor ng system........................................................................................... 44 Informa on about children ........................................................................... 45 Provision of medical service by insurance companies ................................. 46 Rights of the staff of ins tu ons .................................................................. 48 The ongoing reform and the problems related to it ..................................... 50 The viola ons revealed in the process of reintegra on ................................ 51 The process of the subs tu on of large child ins tu ons with the family type houses .................................................................................. 55 Concluding recommenda ons ............................................................................57 4 Monitoring of Children’s Homes PUBLIC DEFENDER OF GEORGIA MONITORING OF CHILDREN’S HOMES INTRODUCTION In January 2011, the Special Preven ve Group of the Public Defender, within the frame of the Na onal Preven ve Mechanism, monitored children’s homes. The following ins tu ons were visited during the monitoring: children’s homes in Tbilisi, Rustavi, Tskne , Saguramo, Kojori, Telavi, Lagodekhi, Surami, Tashiskari, Aspindza, Tsalenjikha, Zugdidi and Batumi; “House of Future” and “Satnoeba” in Tbilisi. The men oned ins tu ons are under the Legal En ty of Public Law “State Care Agency” under the Ministry of Labor, Health and Social Protec on. The Public School N15 in Samtredia under the Ministry of Educa on and Science was also visited during the monitoring. The degree of protec on of rights of benefi ciaries placed in children’s homes was checked during the monitoring. When employing the competencies as envisaged by the Law of Georgia on the Public Defender of Georgia for the Na onal Preven ve Mechanism, the Special Preven ve Group is guided by the Cons tu on of Georgia, the United Na ons Conven on on the Rights of a Child, Na onal Standards of Child Care1, Law of Georgia on “Licensing child ins tu ons” as well as other respec ve norma ve acts2 and checks the condi ons in the children’s homes, as the compliance of the treatment and other components with the standards and norms established by the above men oned acts. During the monitoring undertaken in January 2011, the a en on was also paid to the degree of implementa on of recommenda ons issued following the monitoring undertaken by the Special Preven ve Group in February 2010.3 THE MAIN RESULTS OF THE MONITORING As a result of the monitoring conducted in 2011, a range of systemic and specifi c viola ons were revealed in child ins tu ons: 1 The Order N281/M of the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Protec on, dated 26 August, 2009 on the Approval of the Child Care Standards. 2 The Law of Georgia on Social Assistance, the Law of Georgia on Adop on and Raising Foster Care, the Joint Order of the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Protec on, the Minister of Internal Aff airs of Georgia, and the Minister of Educa on and Science N152/M-N496-45/M, dated 31 May, 2010 about the Approval of the Referral Procedures for the Protec on of Children, the Order of the Minister of Labor, Health and Social Protec on N52/M, dated 26 February, 2010 on Placing a Person in Specialized Ins tu on and the Rules and Condi ons for Taking a Person out of that ins tu on, the Order N1/550 of the Director of the Legal En ty of Public Law State Care Agency dated 12 July, 2010, on Approving the Rules of Protec on of Benefi ciaries of the child ins tu ons from Violence. 3 See: below, “The Changes implemented as a result of the monitoring undertaken by the Special Preven ve Team in Children educa on ins tu ons child ins tu ons in 2010”. NPM Annual Report for 2010 5 The cases of violence by staff of the children’s homes toward children. The violence is long-las ng prac ce in the majority of child ins tu ons. Low level of awareness regarding the essence of violence and the use of violence as a method of upbringing represent the main star ng points for this problem; In an absolute majority of children’s homes children are absolutely unprotected from the violence among the benefi ciaries. The administra on is not able to ensure the psycho- social rehabilita on of children with behavioral devia on or children with other problems; The unfavorable environment condi ons for the development of a child and the environment dangerous for health: a number of cold living buildings (temperature 70), insuffi cient and damaged furniture, barrack type sleeping rooms (16 beds in 1 room), the short beds not in line with the needs of the age of children, an -sanitary in the dining blocks, unprotected territory; The use of child labor: the child labor is used against the will of children. In par cular: cleaning of restrooms and kitchens; washing with cold water; as well as picking citrus; cleaning of houses of teachers; it shall be noted that children clean the houses of teachers for the minimum remunera on - ge ng cloth, or 5-10 Georgian Lari. According to children, they are the cheap labor force; Discrimina on of children: it is evident that children