Parents of children with disabilities occupy Polish CARL
Parents who cannot get by on the pittance paid by the government to care for people with disabilities take action.
Since Wednesday, parents of children with disabilities have been occupying the Parliament in Warsaw to protest their desperate situation and try to get more help for themselves as well as caregivers of adults with disabilities.
The protesters are asking for help in drawing attention to their struggle on an international level. Below is a translation of their appeal to journalists.
If any English speaking journalists would like to contact them or need help with translation, please contact the local ZSP (is@zsp.net.pl) which can help with this.
(People can also refer to this previous article to get an idea of the situation:http://zsp.net.pl/care-providers-adults-disabilities-protest-against-anti-social-politics-government)
APPEAL FROM THE OCCUPIERS
Warsaw 21-03-2014
We appeal to journalists from around the world to support us in our actions!!!
We are parents are caregivers of children with handicaps, the weakest social group in this country. We wish to inform people around the world that we have been occupying the Polish Parliament where, after a press conference we announced that we are tired with this constant struggle about our fate, but we are determined. After much struggle, there was nothing left for us to do but stay here until the Polish government and MPs see how we live and quickly introduce an act which would change our difficult material situation and improve our lives. We have nothing left except dreams and our beloved children, for which we would do anything so that at last our children have the right to a normal life, as is their right under the Constitution.
We appeal to journalists from around the world to support us in our actions! We know that our actions now are not legal, but what choice do we have after years of struggle to improve the fates of our children but we are still at practically the same place as we began. In this time, only a few cosmetic changes have been introduced that didn't make our lives or the lives of our children any easy. We ask - PLEASE HELP US. If we lose now we surely will never again pick ourselves up after our defeat. We also have a right to live normally in this country, without having to fight for it, without fear for the lives of our children and existence. We love our children very much but we can't feed them or cure them with our love. This protest in the Parliament is a show of our determination and a cry of desperation, which our government does not hear, or at least pretends not to.
With respect and hopes for support and a better future, the parents of children with disabilities hope for change in Poland.
Facebook page (in Polish) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rodzice-niepełnosprawnych-dzieci-w-Sejmie-Walka-trwa/537913416328187