This article was created in response to recent tragic events. It is intended for everyone who can influence the reality of the Deaf community: deaf people, hearing people, professionals, organizations, and institutions.
The Slovak Deaf community is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, which has already claimed the lives of three children. Recent tragic events reveal systemic failures in access to mental health services for this vulnerable group and require immediate attention from institutions and the wider public.
Statement from the Director of Innosign: “Three deaf children have already lost their future”
YouTube video:
Below is the full transcript of the video statement by Marek Kanaš, Director of Innosign: (Author’s note: In the original video, I said, “Is it their mother’s fault? No.” The correct wording should have been, “Is it only their mother’s fault? No.” My intention was to emphasize that responsibility lies not only with the mother, but also with the community and the system. I apologize for this typo.)
”Hello, everyone. Another great tragedy has occurred in Slovakia. A similar tragedy happened some time ago, which also shook the media. A deaf mother killed her deaf child. The deaf community is small, we get along well, but there are still problems. And mental health is a big problem.
Opportunities, accessibility, communication, awareness raising, information gathering – everything related to mental health – deaf people do not have access to. And now another tragedy has occurred. A deaf mother killed her two deaf children.
Is it their mother’s fault? No. (*Modified from the original wording, which could have been misleading.*) Our community is to blame. We need to open up the topic of mental health, support each other, have experts in psychology, and support the creation of new institutions. So far, this has not been properly addressed. And the result is these two tragedies. A historically great tragedy in the deaf community.
From the time before the establishment of the Slovak Republic until today, tragedies have occasionally occurred – traffic accidents and other events. But now we are talking about the murder of deaf children who had their whole lives and futures ahead of them. Tragedy – two mothers.
It is therefore essential to strengthen psychological support: to identify problems early on and create realistic opportunities for prevention in the future. From childhood, through better education, support for the family environment, relationships and much more.
The range of mental health solutions and care options is insufficient. We have quite a lot of other services—for example, interpreting services when physical health issues need to be addressed. But when it comes to mental health issues, such support is often lacking. And mental health is just as important, if not more important, because it affects our entire lives and our relationships, and it is also the cause of these two tragedies.
So far, we have not created any real prevention measures to avoid such situations. There may be some minor measures here and there, but that is not enough. The deaf community also bears some responsibility for this – and it is difficult to admit. And, of course, the hearing majority is often not interested – not only in Slovakia, but also around the world. That is why we must draw their attention to this issue so that it can be addressed in a meaningful way.
I have already contacted organizations to take action and spread information about mental health. I hope that some of them, such as ANEPS, will also establish cooperation with the Ministry of Health so that this topic can be discussed openly. Innosign will also address the topic of mental health and include it in one of our projects.
Indeed, today is a “dark day.” It is the year 2025, and something like this has happened in such a short time… What will happen next? I don’t know. How many more times will this happen? We cannot leave it at that. We must realize that mental health is extremely important.
Problems gradually pile up, like a glass of water that eventually overflows. It can start in childhood—at school, in the family, among friends. Or something happens at work. And so it builds up until it’s too late.
That is why we, the deaf community, should be attentive. We should talk and express what we feel. If someone has a problem, we cannot downplay it and tell them to just endure it. We need to talk to them and try to understand them.
Each of us has our own difficulties, and we, the deaf, know this very well – everyday obstacles, communication problems. There is a lot of it.
It is important that this topic is not taboo. That it is discussed openly. Thank you.”
Tragic reality: Three lives we have lost
Slovakia has been shaken by two horrifying tragedies. In August 2025, a deaf mother from Ružinov drowned her two children in a bathtub and then set the apartment on fire. The five-year-old girl and two-year-old boy could not be saved. Just a few months earlier, in June 2025, another deaf mother stabbed her three-year-old son to death in a forest near the village of Lendak. In total, this is three young lives that had a future and dreams ahead of them.
These cases are not just individual tragedies, but symptoms of a deeper, systemic problem. Both mothers were, according to available information, deaf and had psychological difficulties; in the case of the mother from Lendak, the media reported a recent psychiatric hospitalization.
Is it only the Deaf mothers’ fault? No.
As emphasized by the Director of Innosign in his statement: the system and the community have long failed in supporting the mental health of deaf people. There is a lack of access to information, professional and preventive help in sign language, and targeted awareness-raising. While in physical health it is possible to reach a doctor with the help of interpreters, in psychological difficulties the services are often missing or insufficient.
The glass that slowly fills and overflows
Mental health problems don’t accumulate all at once; they build up over years through family, school, communication, and social barriers until, finally, the “glass” overflows. As the Director of Innosign aptly said: “Problems build up slowly, like a glass of water that overflows. It can start already in childhood, at school, in the family, among friends.”
What is needed is the recognition of warning signs, openness, mutual listening, and understanding. The phrase “just endure it” helps no one. We need understanding, not rejection.
The critical state of mental health in Slovakia
Almost 1 million people in Slovakia are not satisfied with their mental health; about a fifth suffer from persistent problems (irritability, anxiety, “nerves at the end”). As many as 20% of Slovaks rated themselves 4–5, which represents approximately 900,000 people. For deaf people the barriers are higher: approximately 5,000 people use Slovak Sign Language, while access to interpreters and understanding within the system is insufficient.
Online help — accessible, yet still with barriers
Since May 2025, the National Mental Health Support Line (0800 193 193) has been operating, available daily 10:00–22:00; it provides anonymous and free psychological counseling and crisis intervention and chat advise as like Ipčko. For deaf people who are comfortable with written Slovak, this is an important service.
The problem is that standardized video counseling in Slovak Sign Language practically does not exist, and there are few interpreters for acute crisis assistance—there are only about 20–25 certified Slovak Sign Language interpreters in Slovakia.
International practice: in the USA, the 988 ASL Direct Video Service is available; in the United Kingdom there are specialized psychological therapies in sign language and access to NHS 111 via SignVideo.
Why are deaf professionals and peer support crucial?
Direct communication with a deaf professional/peer counselor is more effective and safer than help “through an interpreter”: it increases trust, understanding, and cultural sensitivity; peer support programs in the UK/USA reduce the recurrence of crises, strengthen self-confidence, and speed up the pathway to help. Some programs report achieving individual goals in up to 85% of cases.
International evidence of higher vulnerability
Studies from the USA/UK report that among deaf students, annual suicide attempt rates reach 1.7–18% and lifetime rates up to 30%; 40% reported that life was not worth living, 44% had suicidal thoughts, 30% a suicide attempt during their lifetime. Services are often inaccessible: in the USA, 41% of publicly funded mental health facilities and 59% of substance-use treatment facilities did not offer services in sign language. European reports have long confirmed higher risks of depression and self-harm among deaf people.
Belfast Declaration 2014: An international standard of Deaf rights
https://esmhd.org/10-years-belfast-statement
In 2014, at the 6th World Congress on Mental Health and Deafness in Belfast, the Belfast Declaration on Mental Health and Deafness was adopted. This declaration, supported by WFD, ESMHD, the British Deaf Association, and other organizations, sets out the fundamental rights of deaf people in the area of mental health:
Key rights under the Belfast Declaration:
- The right to dignity, respect, and compassion with regard to the linguistic identity of deaf people
- The right to effective and timely health care, including equal and effective access to mental health services
- The right to assessment by qualified staff with cultural and language competence
- The right to mental health services that recognize, accept, and respect an individual’s preferred means of communication
Dr. Liisa Kauppinen, Honorary President of the WFD and a 2013 United Nations Human Rights Prize laureate, presented the first draft of the declaration with the words: “I want to live in a world where mental health services and information about these services are provided in sign language so that they are accessible to the Deaf community.”
Organizational structure of Deaf people in Slovakia and Europe
National level
- ANEPS (Association of the Deaf of Slovakia) is the largest association of people with hearing loss in the Slovak Republic; based at Kálov 17, Žilina; President Mgr. Jana Filipová; a member of the WFD and EUD; it provides social and specialized counseling.
- Innosign focuses on supporting signing groups/organizations, provides comprehensive support, and collaborates with a Deaf mental health advisor whose expertise is recognized by the World Federation of the Deaf (WFD). Through this cooperation, Innosign is able to provide comprehensive and internationally relevant support.
European and global level
- WFD (World Federation of the Deaf) — founded in 1951 in Rome, the oldest international organization of persons with disabilities; it has an expert group on “Access to health and mental health.”
- EUD (European Union of the Deaf) — founded in 1985, actively advocates for Deaf people’s rights to health services in national sign languages.
- EUDY (European Union of the Deaf youth) — founded in 1987, represents Deaf young people in Europe and advocates for their rights, including access to health services in national sign languages.
- ESMHD (European Society for Mental Health and Deafness) — founded in 1986 (not 1988, as is sometimes stated) in four European countries; a specialized European organization focused exclusively on the mental health of Deaf people, bringing together professionals, researchers, and activists from across Europe.
Systemic barriers to accessing mental health services
Communication barriers
For Deaf people, Slovak is a foreign language; their mother tongue is Slovak Sign Language. Many have difficulty understanding written text, as they do not acquire vocabulary through hearing from childhood. Up to 90% of deaf people are born to hearing parents, so sign language is often not their first language.
Lack of qualified professionals
There is an acute shortage of Slovak Sign Language interpreters—only 20–25 certified. The low number of psychiatrists (6/100,000 vs. the EU average of 20/100,000) prolongs waiting times for everyone; for Deaf people, services are practically inaccessible.
Missing specialized services
In developed countries there are specialized services (e.g., National Deaf Services in the UK – NHS) with outpatient and inpatient care in a culturally adapted environment; in Slovakia they are practically absent.
Foreign expertise = faster progress
Engaging the WFD, EUD, ESMHD, and established centers (Nordic countries, Austria, UK) through training, methodological support, and knowledge exchange accelerates change; this practice needs to be adopted. The Belfast Declaration provides a clear framework for implementing best practices.
Existing initiatives and their limits
National Mental Health Support Line
The line (0800 193 193) has been operating since May 2025, daily 10:00–22:00; it provides anonymous and free psychological counseling and crisis intervention; since June 2025 it has been expanded with PARAFILIK. For Deaf people, however, without the provision of sign language it is practically inaccessible.
Mental health support in education
Programs to support mental health in education exist, but the specifics of Deaf students are not sufficiently taken into account.
International expert groups
The WFD has an expert group “Access to health and mental health”; the EUD advocates for Deaf people’s rights to health services in national sign languages; the EUDY represents Deaf young people in Europe and advocates for their rights, including access to health services and safeguarding in various activities; the ESMHD provides a specialized platform for European initiatives in the field of Deaf mental health and actively supports the implementation of the Belfast Declaration.
Innosign offers a concrete path
As declared by the Director of Innosign: “Innosign will likewise address the topic of mental health. We will include it in one project.” The organization is preparing a project to support the mental health of Deaf people with an emphasis on peer counseling and cooperation with international experts. The team includes a Deaf expert for the WFD and can ensure know-how, training, and supervision in Slovakia.
At the same time, it calls on ANEPS to promote the topic at the Ministry of Health and for systemic cooperation between the state, NGOs, and the community.
Concrete recommendations for systemic change
Immediate steps at the ministerial level
Ministry of Health:
- Guarantee access to mental health services in Slovak Sign Language as a fundamental right in line with the Belfast Declaration
- Expand the National Line with video telephony featuring interpreters/counselors in sign language
- Develop protocols for working with Deaf people in psychiatry and psychology according to international standards
Ministry of Education:
- Integrate specific mental health programs into curricula for Deaf students according to the Belfast Declaration
- Train educators to recognize signs of mental health problems in Deaf students
2. Specialized services in line with the Belfast Declaration
- Establish a national mental health center for Deaf people with a multidisciplinary team according to ESMHD standards
- Create regional contact points with professionals who know sign language
- Implement telemedicine with professionals fluent in sign language
3. Strengthening the capacities of organizations
- ANEPS: advocate priorities at the Ministry of Health, transfer best practices via WFD/EUD/EUDY/ESMHD, cross-sector cooperation
- Innosign: leverage partnerships, project management, WFD expert and peer counselors
- Cooperation with ESMHD: use European networks and proven procedures, including implementation of the Belfast Declaration
4. Legislative changes in line with the Belfast Declaration
- Implement international standards of Deaf rights in health care according to the Belfast Declaration
- Enshrine communication accessibility for Deaf people in law and in accreditation standards
A call for immediate action under the Belfast Declaration
These tragedies confront us with the fact that the “cup of pain” in the Deaf community has overflowed. Every additional day of delay means the risk of further tragedies. According to the Belfast Declaration we need:
Short-term (1–6 months):
- Set up a crisis line with video-signing in accordance with the Belfast Declaration
- Train existing mental health professionals in communication with Deaf people
- Create a network of peer groups according to ESMHD standards
Medium-term (6–24 months):
- A specialized center following ESMHD models and the Belfast Declaration
- Education for future professionals according to international standards
- Mental health materials in sign language
Long-term (2–5 years):
- Full integration of services for Deaf people into the system according to the Belfast Declaration
- Research programs in cooperation with ESMHD
- Sustainable funding according to European standards
Conclusion: The time for change is now
Three young lives cannot be brought back, but systemic changes can prevent further tragedies. The Deaf community has the right to equal access to mental health services, as clearly established by the 2014 Belfast Declaration.
As the Director of Innosign emphasized: “We cannot leave it like this. We must realize that mental health is very important.” We need concrete expertise, a real willingness to change the system, and cooperation by all—from individuals and organizations to state institutions. The Belfast Declaration gives us a clear plan for how to proceed.
Let us begin today, before it is too late again.
If you need help:
Ipčko (chat/email counseling): www.ipcko.sk
Share this article—every share can save a life.
Marek Kanaš, Founder and Director of Innosign
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