Against the Use of Restraints on People with Disabilities
On October 25, 2026, ACRI and the organization Bizchut sent an appeal to the Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs, demanding that it enforce the provisions intended to prevent and reduce the use of abusive restraints against people with disabilities in residential facilities and community-based settings.
The appeal was sent following information we received from the Ministry of Welfare in response to a freedom of information request, which revealed that the Ministry does not have essential information about the use of restraints and is unable to provide full information about the extent of their use, approvals granted for their use, and the oversight that exists. More troubling, according to the data provided by the Ministry, in 2025, measures that the Ministry itself explicitly prohibits were used against 189 people with disabilities, including 22 minors.
The information provided reveals additional failures in oversight: in 2025, only 76 of 334 community-based settings for minors were included in the reports, and no information was provided regarding approvals for establishing isolation rooms and how long and how often a person can be placed in isolation. In the absence of such information, it is unclear how the Ministry can identify unlawful or abusive use of these measures and prevent its recurrence.
In the appeal, ACRI Attorney Michal Tadjer of ACRI and Dr. Idit Saragusti of Bizchut demanded that the Ministry of Welfare immediately cease the use of prohibited restraint measures, investigate places that fail to report on their use, fill in the missing information, and present a detailed plan to address deficiencies and ensure effective oversight.
As a matter of principle, we oppose the use of restraint measures, which violate the fundamental rights of people with disabilities to liberty, dignity, health, and physical and mental integrity. A petition filed by Bizchut with the Supreme Court against the use of these measures is currently pending, and in February 2025 the Court issued an order nisi directing the State to explain why their use should not be prohibited. Yet as long as the Ministry of Welfare continues to permit the use of restraint and isolation, it has a duty to protect the rights of the people under its responsibility and to fully oversee any infringement on their liberty.
Appeal by ACRI and Bizchut, October 25, 2026 (Heb)
