On Tuesday, January 7th 2025, the third annual commemorative event, Night of Dignity, will take place in the Czech Republic to draw attention to the situation of people with disabilities. The public defender of rights took over the auspices. Already 40 organisations have joined the event and the commemoration will take place in several cities in the Czech Republic.

The main aim of the event is to draw attention to the fact that people with disabilities are often isolated and neglected, living in institutions in undignified conditions without any interest from the surrounding community. Pieta recalls the tragic case of Dorota Šandorová, a client of the Jindřichův Hradec home for people with disabilities, who was killed by her caregiver during night duty in January 2021. The woman with intellectual disabilities died as a result of an inappropriately set social care system that favours institutional-type services and inappropriately responds to challenging behavioural manifestations of clients.

The commemorative event will take place in Prague at 5 pm in front of the MLSA building and will be connected with the happening „So they won’t be missed here“. The main actors will be people with intellectual disabilities and a human chain made up of participants in the event, along with illuminated symbols of the silhouettes of the „disappeared“, which will walk from the metro to the MLSA building, where a memorial for Dorota Š. will take place with her photograph and lantern. Self-advocates and parents of children with disabilities will express themselves about living with dignity in society and will question the public officials present.

The event is traditionally attended by Minister of Labour and Social Affairs Marian Jurečka, Government Commissioner for Human Rights Klára Šimáčková Laurenčíková, Deputy Ombudsman A. V. Schorm, members of the Chamber of Deputies, Anna Šabatová and the Head of the Department of Social Work at the Faculty of Social Work of Charles University, Melanie Zajacová.

„Our research has shown that there is still a lack of deinstitutionalization plans at the state and regional level that would meet the requirements of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. It is time to move from words to action and build services that enable people with disabilities to live independently and actively participate in society.“ says Deputy Ombudsman Vít Alexander Schorm.

The Night of Dignity and happening is to show that we are not indifferent to the fate of people with disabilities, we want accessible community services for them, so that they can live among us and feel safe. A developed society is supposed to create conditions for a dignified life for everyone in society, in communities, so that we can live together.