Mental Disability Rights Initiative (MDRI-S), an affiliate of Disability Rights International, is an advocacy organization dedicated to the human rights and full participation in society of children and adults with mental disabilities in Serbia. MDRI-S promotes citizen participation, awareness and oversight for the rights of persons with intellectual and psycho-social disabilities, and participates in development of mental disability rights advocacy and self-advocacy movement in Serbia. It is focused on human rights monitoring in residential institutions, providing education on international human rights standards for persons with disabilities in Serbia, advocating the government for effective reform of laws that compromise the human rights of persons with disabilities, and decreasing stigma through promoting community inclusion. The organization’s special focus is on those children and adults who are at risk of or who are already residing in social care and mental health institutions, since they represent the most endangered and marginalized group. MDRI-S conducts research and offers educations and trainings from specialized fields with the aim to shape opinions and standpoints of political, professional and general public through advocating disability rights. In publishing different reports, manuals and materials, MDRI-S provides due attention to using simple formats and easy-to-read versions. In providing direct support to people of marginalized groups and their families in situations when their rights are endangered, MDRI-S extensively cooperates with other organizations and institutions which offer legal aid and protect human rights, such as the Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights, Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, Initiative for Inclusion VelikiMali, Serbian Ombudsman, Commissioner for Equality, etc. MDRI-S is an affiliate of Disability Rights International and the member of the Network of organizations for children of Serbia (MODS) as well as the Balkan Network for Social Inclusion .
