Autistic children performed concert in Nagorno-Karabakh

On June 1, on the International Children's Day, exhibitions and concerts were held in Nagorno-Karabakh. Stepanakert held a concert with involvement of young patients from the Autism Centre. According to the director of the Stepanakert rehabilitation centre, the International Children's Day is a perfect occasion to pay attention to the problems of children with disabilities.

According to Vardan Tadevosyan, the director of the rehabilitation centre, about 200 children with different disabilities annually undergo medical treatment at the centre.

"The problem of children with disabilities is always at the centre of attention for our people," Vardan Tadevosyan emphasized.

The "Yeralan" (Ladder), the only NGO in Nagorno-Karabakh to protect the rights of children with disabilities, started operating in December 2017.

According to Marina Mkrtchyan, a member of the "Yeralan" constitutive council, there was a need for creation of such an organization, since a parent of a disabled child usually remains alone with the problem.

However, the NGO has got no own centre, so it is not able to help a large number of children.

Besides, NGO members have also noted that disabled children need help to get integrated into society.

There are about 8900 disabled people in Nagorno-Karabakh, including 480 children, the Ministry for Public Welfare reports.