The United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) urged the Mexican government to avoid donating money to the charity organization known as Teleton, the biggest NGO in the country for handicapped people.
The CRPD also urged the government to develop its own state social programs for people with disabilities and warned that Teleton advertisements promote stereotypes against handicapped people.
The CRPD also warned of the forced sterilization of handicapped children in centers managed by Hope Home (Casa Hogar Esperanza), another NGO that is not related to Teleton.
“The committee is concerned that much of (public) resources for the rehabilitation of people with disabilities are in a private management entities as Teleton. The committee also notes that the campaign promotes stereotypes of people with disabilities as objects of charity,” says the CRPD statement published on Friday.
Each year, Teleton and Televisa, the biggest media company in Latin America, unite and hold a massive live TV 24 hour broadcast to encourage the Mexican population to donate money to Teleton.
Both federal and several local governments each year donate millions of pesos to the foundation, that has more than 15 rehabilitation centers all over the country. The donations several times are terrains and equipment.
However, since it was created more than 10 years ago, Teleton has been severely criticized and accused of “facilitating” tax evasion and fraud for several important companies. None of these allegations have yet been proven.
