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COMMITMENT TO AN INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF DISABLED PERSONS
Disabled Peoples' International (DPI) urges governments, non-governmental organisations and all citizens of the world to support an international convention to protect the rights of disabled people.
There are over 600 million disabled people world wide, the majority of whom live in developing countries. According to United Nations (UN) statistics, 82 per cent of disabled people live below the poverty line, in the most deplorable conditions, isolated and excluded from their communities by barriers of policy, environment and attitude. Disabled people are unquestionably the largest and most discriminated minority group in the world, whose human rights are systematically violated. These violations against the poorest of the poor result in worsening living conditions, degrading and inhuman treatment, lack of adequate housing, health care, education and employment, social ostracism and, often, death.
Despite the many actions undertaken throughout the UN Decade of Disabled Persons (1983-1992) and subsequent social and disability related policy reforms achieved in some countries, disabled people throughout the world still face daily violations of their rights and find themselves at a legal disadvantage in relation to other at risk groups such as women, children, migrant workers, even though they form part of those groups. To this day, disabled people do not have the protection of a specific international instrument of binding norms that would protect and respect the full enjoyment of our human rights and our rights under the existing UN Conventions are generally ignored or marginalised in monitoring procedures.
At the national level there are only a few countries that have legislation supporting non-discrimination and the rights disabled people. More often than not, even where they exist, these specific laws are unenforceable nor is there a mechanism to support disabled people's access to the law.
The UN World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons (1982) and the UN Standard Rules for the Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (1993) are instruments of education and persuasion and are not legally binding. DPI, therefore, recognises that a
convention on the rights of disabled persons would complement these two documents and would be a more effective means to protect the rights of all disabled people everywhere.
At DPI, we believe the time has come to take action. We believe society must become truly aware, not only about what disabled people can contribute if the major obstacles to our inclusion in society are removed, but also of the significant contribution we already bring to the world of labour, science, arts and, especially, the intimate areas of family, friendship and spiritual life. These contributions which persist despite the prevailing prejudices, non-discrimination and human rights violations, deserve the respect and support of our fellow citizens in all societies.
DPI is a human rights organisation. Our main goal is to defend and protect the interests of disabled girls and boys, women and men, of all cultural, religious and racial backgrounds and to ensure our full participation and equal opportunities in society and the protection of our rights.
Since its inception in 1981, DPI's international forum and national assemblies have played a leading role in disability rights by influencing social policies and gathering evidence based on our direct experience of the status of disabled people. DPI's World Assembly of 1992 adopted a petition calling for the setting up of a global database for the collection of human rights violations. DPI funded a feasibility study on how to operate such a database and DPI Europe created a Human Rights Task Force that produced guidance and training on gathering evidence. The result of this work was the setting up a the database in 2000, in collaboration with the other international disability organisations in the Disability Awareness in Action information network. Already verified cases affecting over 2 million disabled people have been collected. They have taken place since 1990, to disabled people all over the world and of all ages and impairments. 10% of these cases have ended in death. These findings are staggering and demand global action.
Despite what DPI has done, we need to do more. We urge the UN systems and other non-governmental organisations working in disability or human rights to join us in this global effort. Our recommendations are crucial to the world and our contributions are vital to decision-making, policy selection and the defence of our human rights. The lack of a specific convention like those adopted for other at risk groups, as classified by the United Nations, such as women, children, refugees and immigrants, systematically discriminates disabled people world wide. The lack of an internationally legally binding document to protect our specific rights, as indicated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), compromises the human rights of disabled people and the integrity of governments and civil society.
At the beginning of this new century nothing can be more significant and vital to disabled people than the formulation and adoption of an international convention on the rights of disabled persons. The international disability community needs your support to accomplish this most important challenge of the 21 Century. Disabled people must be given the same rights as everyone else to be born free and equal in dignity and rights. Disabled Peoples' International is committed to strive for a legally binding international convention on the rights of all disabled persons to ensure full participation and equality in society.
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DISABLED PEOPLES' INTERNATIONAL
STATEMENT OF COMMITMENT TO A
CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF DISABLED PERSONS
DPI-WC/9 APRIL 2001/UK
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