The Museum of Madness has established itself as a unique voice at the intersection of culture, social care, education, and human rights advocacy, especially for those who remain in long-term care institutions in Slovenia simply because community-based support services are underdeveloped or unavailable.

Deinstitutionalization is about moving people out of large, segregated institutions and into communities, where support services are accessible and inclusive. Despite this, the general public, policymakers, and decision-makers are often unaware that systemic human rights violations still occur in such institutions. There is a widespread belief that people are “well cared for” there, without recognising the social exclusion and lack of personal autonomy that institutionalization often entails.

As Slovenia is in the process of developing a national Strategy for Deinstitutionalization, there is a real risk that the voices of this invisible and marginalized minority will once again be ignored or silenced.

Through this project, we will:

• Raise awareness among the public and policymakers about Slovenia’s international obligations,
   
• Share the personal stories of people with lived experience of institutionalization,
   
• Highlight the risks of superficial reforms—where institutional services are simply renamed as "community services" but continue operating under the same segregated logic (a practice already flagged in the UN Guidelines).
   

Contact person: Darja Farasin

E-mail: info@muzejnorosti.eu

Phone number: 031 238 877

Project Duration: January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024

Funding: Impact 4 Values - European Union