Belgium: segregation policies in Flemish schools breach the rights of children with disabilities, European Committee of Social Rights says
According to a recent decision from the European Committee of Social Rights, the Flemish community of Belgium denies access to mainstream education to disabled children and fails to provide the necessary assistance to ensure such inclusion. The complaint was initiated by international human rights organisation Validity Foundation (formerly the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre) in collaboration with Flemish organisation “Equal rights for every person with a disability” (GRIP – Gelijke Rechten voor Iedere Persoon met een handicap), national partner of the Opening Doors for Europe’s Children campaign in Belgium.
Evidence from the Opening Doors National Coordinator in Belgium also shows that children with disabilities in Belgium are among those who are the most discriminated against. In 2015, there were 7,917 children in institutional care in Flanders of whom 7,286 were those with disabilities and 466 children were below the age of 5.