They were locked in an isolation ward and forced to wash other patients - facts ofof ill-treatment of residents of a psychoneurological boarding school in Odesa region

Employees of the Secretariat of the Authorized Representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights, Yana Kuzmin and Valentin Shavlak, visited the Baraboi Psychoneurological Boarding House in the Odessa region. During the inspection, they discovered instances of improper treatment of the residents by the institution's staff. This was reported by the Representation of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for Human Rights in the Odessa region.

In particular, the monitoring group found one of the residents isolated in a separate room. The institution's staff explained that the woman had to be isolated due to an aggression attack that occurred the day before. However, the monitoring group found that the restrictive measure was applied without proper legal grounds, without accounting for the duration of isolation, and without monitoring the woman's condition. Such actions can be interpreted as manifestations of torture, cruel treatment, or degrading treatment, as defined by Article 3 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.

In addition, other violations were identified during the inspection:

The institution lacks an "air alarm" signal and shelter.
Some of the rooms where residents live require repairs.
Not all residents have the necessary bedside furniture and solid inventory.
Food products for the residents are stored with a violation of the temperature regime and are not properly packaged.
The rights of people with disabilities and limited mobility to accessibility are violated.

The residents of the institution also reported that orderlies involuntarily involve them in work on the institution's premises, force them to wash residents with limited mobility, and perform work in the auxiliary economy. They are rewarded with candies and cigarettes for such work. To address the identified violations and to rectify them, appropriate letters will be sent to competent authorities, and the Human Rights Commissioner of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine will take action.

Please note that in Odessa, an ophthalmologist was forging certificates for "dodgers" for $5,000.