Free Premiere and Panel Discussion 11/30/2022
The premiere of the documentary Ukraine-Paused Reforms was held through Zoom on 11/30/2022, followed by a panel discussion with documentary’s creator, Bulgarian journalist Miroluba Benatova, as well as those who’s stories are shared in the documentary. A second panel explored what the EU can do to support de-institutionalization in Ukraine.
Background:
Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) estimates that more than 7 million people have fled their homes, become internally displaced, or seeking safety abroad. While many countries across Europe, civil society and private households have worked to welcome and support these refugees, little has been said about persons with disabilities who have also been impacted by the war but remain in Ukraine.
In September 2022, EASPD Secretary General, Maya Doneva and award-winning Bulgarian journalist, Miroluba Benatova, visited Ukraine to learn more about the lives of those who have remained in Ukraine and the state of the social and institutional reforms that have been planned for the county. The stories of the people that they met are told in the documentary ‘Ukraine-Paused Reforms’.
‘Ukraine-Paused Reforms’ addresses the realities of persons of disabilities who have been forced to remain in Ukraine since the outbreak of the war and explores the country’s current path towards de-institutionalization.