[Rictor]

A classic example of nanny-state coddling getting out of hand, gradually wussifying society under the banner of "human rights".
Weepy NGOs + nanny-statism + infinite self-righteousness = Rictor smash!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7194443.stm
Czech anger at caged beds report

A Czech minister has questioned claims that cage-like beds are still being used for children in social care homes a year after being banned.

An undercover BBC team found children kept in high-bar beds in five homes.

Social affairs minister Petr Necas told Czech media the beds were "cots" not cages and "completely normal" if a doctor and guardian agreed to them.

But Council of Europe human rights commissioner Thomas Hammarberg called for a more child-oriented approach.

Mr Necas accused the BBC of "classic journalistic distortion".

He told the Aktualne.cz website that his children were in a cot with bars until they were three years old and "it does not matter whether a client is 20, their mental age makes the difference".

A ministry spokesman, quoted by Czech media, said that the alternative to side rails was increasing the dosage of tranquillisers.

In the ministry's opinion it was felt that strong medicine was far worse.

But Mr Hammarberg told the BBC News website that arguments about the safety of the child were second to the effect on the child's mental state.

"The psychological impact of having such a bed is negative and that's why anyone concerned with the rights of the child would recommend very highly against it."

Inspection team

In the BBC report, a girl with severe mental disabilities is shown in a bed, locked behind bars that rise up six feet from the floor.

Jan Fiala of the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre said that the beds shown were cages and could not be considered cots

"In a cot a child can't climb out, but cots aren't so high that carers cannot reach them," he said.

Martin Zarsky, who drafted the law for the ministry of social affairs, told the BBC that an inspection team would be sent immediately.

The human rights commissioner said the decision to have another look at the care homes in question was a positive step.

"They have to have an overall clear policy that they shouldn't use beds that have a psychological impact of being imprisoned," Mr Hammarberg said.

"Hopefully they'll have a child-rights-oriented approach in the

It's called a crib. They are normal. All children have them. Jesus people, grow a pair.

[karajorma]

In the BBC report, a girl with severe mental disabilities is shown in a bed, locked behind bars that rise up six feet from the floor.

Jan Fiala of the Mental Disability Advocacy Centre said that the beds shown were cages and could not be considered cots

"In a cot a child can't climb out, but cots aren't so high that carers cannot reach them," he said.

A crib?

I agreed with you until I reached the highlighted portion. 6 foot bars? Are these superbabies?

[Flipside]

A ministry spokesman, quoted by Czech media, said that the alternative to side rails was increasing the dosage of tranquillisers.

I think that disturbs me even more, I was, almost, able to accept the fact that these cage-like contraptions may be the Czech way of preventing these people from hurting themselves by falling or climbing out, it doesn't really strike me as a very effective way of doing it, as was mentioned in the article, a cot has bars, but the carer can still reach  the child if needed. That line about tranqs, though, put these homes in a much more ominous light for me.

Edit: Especially when you consider this line:

He told the Aktualne.cz website that his children were in a cot with bars until they were three years old and "it does not matter whether a client is 20, their mental age makes the difference".

I bet he didn't give his child tranquilizers.

[Herra Tohtori]

More child-oriented approach to limit a mentally disabled child's mobility so they don't get lost or hurt themselves or others?

Well, tranquilizers were mentioned already. I guess chains or cuffs could also work. Obviously, the ideal solution would be to have a full-time caretaker warder on these cases to make sure they don't get hurt.

I just wonder where the social care homes are supposed to dig the money to hire all the warders required... perhaps BBC could lend them a hand, since they are so interested in the matter.


Obviously, all this is redundant, since the facts apparently are that these 6-feet cots have been banned a year ago but used to this day anyway, and some Czech minister is trying to interpret the law by saying that the beds in question aren't "cage-like beds" which are banned, but cots iinstead. Oh well.

[Flipside]

The fact is, we all know this will end up with a great deal of finger-pointing and no action on either sides part. The investigation will say what the Government tells it to, the British will lose interest because Jade Goody got a flat tire, or we are all too busy soaking up Diana's life-story yet again like some kind of slightly greasy sponge, and they'll lose interest.

The News these days is just another 'reality TV', we don't watch it to be informed, we watch it to be entertained.

Meh, mebbe I'm just feeling cynical tonight.

[Rictor]

I agreed with you until I reached the highlighted portion. 6 foot bars? Are these superbabies?

I have to assume that those are an exception. If not, I stand corrected. But somehow it doesn't seem practical or probable. The one shown in the BBC photo is a crib by any normal measure, except maybe that it's bare metal instead of painted white.

Meh, mebbe I'm just feeling cynical tonight.

Actually, I think that new EU members (Czech, Poland, Hungary etc) and potential members (Croatia, Serbia etc) are eager enough to please the  Western states that something might actually get done. They're willing to bend over quite far backwards in order to maintain good relations with the Powers That Be in Europe.

...but you're still a bitter old man.

[Nuke]

we could just lite them on fire, but thats just me.

if it were me id choose the bars over the tranqs. 6 feet above the floor is only about 4 feet above the sheets. for all intents and purposes, its a crib. if they sealed the top then id question the ethics, otherwise i dont see a damn thing wrong with it.better than being forcibly injected with drugs every 6 hours.