On
November 25, 2024, the representatives of the Human Rights Defender's Office
conducted an unannounced monitoring visit to Gyumri’s "Children's
Home" SNCO of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of
Armenia (hereinafter also referred to as the Institution).
During
the visit, the building conditions of the Institution, the communal and
sanitary facilities, and the care provided to children, in particular, first
aid services, food and clothing were studied. Moreover, the relationship
between the Institution's staff and children, the state of protection of
children's rights and interests, and their documents, and their compliance with
the established requirements and applicable standards were examined.
The
representatives of the Defender’s Office have registered a number of issues,
some of which are systemic in nature, and require urgent solutions.
In
particular:
• The
living area necessary for personal space is not maintained; in particular, the
beds are arranged attached to each other, or placed too close together. Due to
insufficient space, a case of mixed care of boys and girls has been registered.
The institution is not provided with safe, needs-based and developmentally
appropriate conditions that meet the specific needs of children.
• The
ability of children to independently satisfy their narrow personal needs
(personal hygiene) in segregated conditions is not ensured. For example, most
bathrooms were not separated from bedrooms, and children were bathed in the
bedroom in the presence of other children.
•
Sanitary and hygienic conditions are not provided; children's toothbrushes were
dirty, and issues related to the individualization of children's personal
hygiene items, cups, plates were registered (cases of caregivers confusing
children's towels were recorded). In each room of the Institution there was a
medicine storage box, which was dirty, contained opened and unused medicines,
which were filled in boxes without labeling, while syringes were placed
together with household items.
• Expired
medicines and porridge were found.
• The
meat products lacked proper labeling, which made it impossible to check the
expiration date.
• Due
to the difficulty in involving relevant specialists, the Institution has not
conducted an assessment of the individual medical needs of children, including
palliative care and services.
•
Artificial feeding was carried out using syringes and feeding tubes
(nasogastric tubes), which were disinfected and reused without
individualization.
• The
children's clothing and the feeding bottles designated for them were worn out
• The
physical environment of the Institution does not comply with the principles of
universal design. The Institution requires accessible transportation and
reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities.
•
Problems related to the proper management of documents have been registered.
For example, the 'Health Record' was missing, and the register for recording
suspected or confirmed cases of violence against children, and among them, as
well as the reports to the competent authorities regarding such cases, was
incomplete.
• The
need to implement mechanisms for the detection, prevention, and response to
cases of violence against children in the Institution was registered.
• The
Institution needs to be equipped with a multidisciplinary team and to provide
targeted training for the specialists. There is a need to improve the staff's
skills in interacting with children
•
According to the provided information, the process of transferring children, including
children aged 0-3, to the Institution continued throughout 2024. During 2024,
no child's care was entrusted to a foster family, and no child was returned to
their family.
• The
Institution has not implemented a mechanism that ensures children's participation
in matters concerning them, the right to be heard, as well as a real,
accessible, and available opportunity to exercise their right to appeal.
•
Systemic issues have been registered regarding the lack of alignment and
adjustment of the educational process to the needs of each child, and the
guaranteeing of appropriate educational responses, and the absence of effective
cooperation between educational institutions and the Institution.
• A
child with visual impairments residing in the Institution and attending a
general education school was not provided with Braille books, and other
necessary accessible learning materials, etc.
At
the conclusion of the monitoring visit, the identified issues were discussed
with the Director of the Institution and the staff. Afterwards, the
representatives of the Defender’s Office also presented recommendations to
address the issues.
The
results of the unannounced monitoring visit, including the systemic issues
repeatedly raised by the Defender, will be summarized, and the registered
issues, together with recommendations, will be presented to the competent state
bodies.
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