IT HAS BEEN 18 months since alarm bells first sounded over how dire conditions are at the Nea Eleousa home and still nothing has been done.
A public intervention by newly appointed Child Commissioner Leda Koursoumba in late January still failed to prompt the state into taking action.
As yet another violent outburst by an underage Nea Eleousa patient hit the headlines on Monday – staff at the home held a one-hour work stoppage on Monday after two colleagues of theirs were subjected to a violent attack from the home’s patients – the House Human Rights Committee yesterday expressed its outrage at the continuing indifference.
This is not the first time such problems have emerged at the specific home and workers there have repeatedly asked for immediate measures for their own protection.
The home is not structured to deal with children with special needs, just adults. This, coupled with the complete lack of specialised staff, has led to a complete violation of human rights, not just for the children but also the staff.
Former Labour Minister Antonis Vassiliou had promised in late January that by the end of February, the home would have been provided with a specialised psychologist, occupational therapist, music therapist and speech therapist, plus seven more officers.
MPs expressed their disappointment during a meeting with Koursoumba, who listed children’s homes as one of her top priorities for the coming year.
“It turned out we were right to raise the alarm for this issue,” said Koursoumba. “I wrote to the Labour Minister on January 8, told him there was a lack of staff, the staff weren’t trained to deal with disabled children and there were underage children in an adult home.”
This, she said, was a violation of the UN Treaty for the Protection of Children’s Rights. “But I’m sad to say nothing was done. No one answered my letter. Nea Eleousa continues to be understaffed, staff still lack specialised training and the surroundings continue to be unsuitable for children with special needs,” said Koursoumba.
“At the end of January, I made a public intervention requesting immediate measures. Despite public uproar, nothing has changed, resulting in these violent incidents. I think it’s scandalous. The state must act immediately; otherwise it is violating these children’s rights.”
She added, “What made me lose my sleep was that these children were projected as dangerous animals. And the employees are not to blame for this; they are just not trained to deal with these children. The state’s responsibility is huge.”
Koursoumba said she had spoken to new Labour Minister Sotiroulla Charalambous on Monday night “and I am happy to report she is already dealing with the problem. To be fair, she has just taken on her duties so we need to giver he some time.”
Stella Kyriakidou of DISY agreed Charalambous should be given the chance to examine the matter. “And I am certain that she will find a solution.”
She continued, “This issue was raised 18 months ago but nothing has been done. I have contacted the medical experts who are examining the children at Nea Eleousa and they told me their psychological state was deteriorating by the day. We warned this would eventually lead to violence and unfortunately we’ve been proved right.”
