Students at the Velykylubinsky NRS were administered medications that restrict their mobility.

Representatives of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Human Rights announced the results of a monitoring inspection at the Velykylubynskyi Educational and Rehabilitation Center. During a briefing on November 11 in Kyiv, the Commissioner for Children's Rights, Iryna Suslova, stated that serious violations of the conditions for the care and protection of children's rights were discovered during the visit to the facility, as reported by “UP. Life”. In particular, it was found that children were administered medications that restricted their movement.

According to Iryna Suslova, at the time of the inspection, there were 57 children in the Velykylubynskyi NRC: three orphans, 25 children deprived of parental care, 12 children in difficult life circumstances, and 17 children without a defined status.

Officials discovered instances of physical and psychological abuse at the facility, as well as cases of intimidation.

“One boy reported that he considers punishment by being beaten with a stick to be normal, as he believes that breaking the rules justifies violence from the management. Children are threatened with the regional psychiatric hospital: they are told that they will be taken to the 'eight' – the nickname for the regional psychiatric hospital with a children's ward,” Iryna Suslova shared.

The Commissioner for Children's Rights added that the commission learned that children were administered medications that caused loss of mobility.

“While reviewing personal files, we noticed that these children had no diagnosis that would require hospitalization in a psychiatric institution. This raises serious questions about the justification for such actions. In our recommendations, we urged the Ministry of Health to conduct an internal investigation and take appropriate measures,” she noted.

She added that more than half of the children do not have special educational needs – indicating an artificial increase in the number of residents at the facility.

“Although this is an educational institution, the preparation of children was weak. To effectively educate children of different categories, individual programs must be developed that meet their needs. However, this institution lacked special programs. The shortcomings in education became particularly evident when I personally observed one of the lessons for 6th to 8th graders,” Iryna Suslova pointed out.

Additionally, the NRC did not provide basic living conditions. For example, there were no toothpaste and brushes, or toilet paper. Furthermore, there is no access control at the educational and rehabilitation center: the gates are always open, and anyone can enter the premises.

It is worth noting that an investigation is underway at the Velykylubynskyi Educational and Rehabilitation Center due to possible abuse of children. A new interim director has been appointed during the investigation, and the children have been transferred to other facilities. Another investigation was conducted regarding the beating of a student with disabilities by a caregiver, and she has already been sentenced.