More than half of the kids from the educational and rehab center in the Lviv region, where a scandal broke out due to child abuse, should not have been in the center.
This was stated by ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets.
Last week, on October 7 and 8, the staff of the Ombudsmanʼs Secretariat visited the institution again. According to them, the children were careful in their statements in the conversation, which suggests that the staff of the institution probably did preliminary work with them, clarifying what they can say and what they cannot.
At the same time, during a long conversation, some children still said that they were subjected to psychological pressure, violence, threats, others reported that they were witnesses of violence against other pupils of the institution.
They also found out that more than half of the children should not be in the center. Currently, such children have pedagogical neglect, which is a possible consequence of providing low-quality education or placing children in an institution in accordance with outdated conclusions of inclusive resource centers.
These children are recommended to be placed in family forms of upbringing or provision of inclusive education or education in a secondary education institution.
In addition, even after the detection of violations in the institution, children continue to complain about the quality of food, that they do not have enough food. Also, one of the kids of the center noted that he works part-time in the field of funeral services, namely digging graves, preparing the bodies of the dead for burial, burying them, which at such an age can cause severe psychological consequences and shows signs of child labor exploitation.
"That is why we expect urgent relocation of children in order to prevent pressure on them and violence, for the sake of reunification of relatives," Lubinets emphasized.
What preceded
Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets reported on September 28 that in the educational and rehab center in the Lviv region, children were systematically abused — morally and physically. Also, some of the pupils of the center complained about harassment by the director.
Law enforcement officers have already started an investigation and opened criminal proceedings, in particular, on the fact of sexual violence against a minor. And the head of the rehabilitation center was suspended from work during the inspection.
Against the background of this incident, Ukraine decided to check all institutions where children live.
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