Description
The Center for Investigative Media, with it's partner, hereby files the following proposal for a project "The truth about the ones that don't exist - journalism and activism for the rights of the mentally disabled living in state-financed institutions". Our project is important because it targets an extremely vulnerable group. We intend to identify, document and uncover the horrors that these people go through, using the specific means of investigative journalism, the "follow the money" techniques, combined with the classic monitoring instruments that activists use. Although they function in our proximity, these institutions are kept locked and hidden from the outside world by the responsible authorities, that are actually afraid of the image problems that the truth about what's inside them could create, but also because, in the darkness, it's easier for the hundreds of millions of Euros that are allocated to this system to disappear. We want to train investigative journalists, bloggers and activists and them to take them on board in our effort to monitor and improve the system, for the benefit of the ones that have their rights only on paper.
Summary of project results
This project was important because it targeted an extremely vulnerable group, the mentally disabled people living in public centres. Thousands of people die every year in these facilities, without clear and transparent information on the circumstances of their deaths. The project intended to identify, document and uncover the highly traumatizing experiences that these people go through, using the specific means of investigative journalism, the "follow the money" techniques, combined with the classic monitoring instruments that activists use. These institutions are kept locked and hidden from the outside world by the responsible authorities that are actually afraid of the bad publicity that the truth about what's really going on behind closed doors could create. During the project’s implementation, a number of 38 investigative journalists, bloggers and activists have been trained and have been taken on board in the effort to monitor and improve the system, for the benefit of the mentally disabled people admitted to these facilities. The journalists that have been trained in understanding the complicated labyrinth that these people are captive in are now able to work by themselves and keep discovering all sorts of stories that are meant to bring a change in these people’s lives, using public pressure. 5 journalistic investigations have been published, and 12 monitoring reports have been issued. The stories behind these investigations, which have been produced during the implementation of this project, brought the truth to thousands and thousands of people, helped enforce a law and change another one to a functioning one and, hopefully, will help more and more people understand what actually happens in these mental institutions. A handful of tools have also been provided, in order to be used in future journalistic investigations.
Summary of bilateral results