BBC: Czech children’s care homes use caged beds, violating a nation-wide ban

Czech institutions for disabled children are still using caged beds to keep patients under control, in violation of a law which bans their use, the BBC TV reported on Tuesday. The station’s investigative reporters are said to have found caged beds in five out of eight facilities for mentally disabled children in the Czech Republic. The Labour and Social Affairs Ministry has denied the accusations but said it would investigate the matter. The controversial issue of caged beds hit the headlines two years ago when J.K.Rowling, British author of the popular Harry Potter novels, made a public appeal that they be banned.