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IHC takes complaint to Human Rights Commission
[Last updated Tuesday, August 5, 2008]
Thursday, 31 July 2008, 11:53 am
Press Release: IHC
As appears on http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/PO0807/S00401.htm
IHC takes discrimination complaint to Human Rights Commission
IHC has lodged a complaint with the Human Rights Commission against government policies and practices that prevent disabled students participating fully at their local school.
The complaint targets government action that puts up barriers to learning for students with disabilities.
It has the support of other national disability organisations that IHC will look to joining as co-complainants should litigation become necessary.
IHC's Director of Advocacy Trish Grant says that, in theory, legislation and wider government policy supports a child's right to attend their local school, but the reality is that many experience significant difficulty accessing the support necessary to participate in school life alongside their peers.
"We know that many schools acknowledge their response to disabled students is limited by resourcing and other constraints. It is clear that government policy does not allow all schools to do their best by disabled students.
"The Ministry of Education has indicated to us that schools and boards of trustees are ultimately responsible for the problems, not government, and that government will defend much of the complaint on this basis. Such an approach will not solve this problem.
"IHC has received evidence in the form of affidavits from parents, schools, academics and professionals working in the education sector that support the claim that government policy prevents disabled students accessing the curriculum at their local school.
These policies and the accompanying practices are discriminatory", says Trish.
"One of the biggest problems schools face is the lack of resources. Many schools have no choice but to limit attendance whenever support is unavailable. Parents are often asked to contribute financially to teacher aide hours because of a funding shortfall, the only other option being that their son or daughter is sent home."
The aim of the complaint is to bring an end to the discrimination through remedies available under human rights legislation.
"The Education Act states that any child who has special education needs can enrol and receive education at their local state school. However, given the history and entrenched nature of the problem, IHC sees the complaint to the Human Rights Commission as the only avenue left.
"We can't wait any longer for children to begin receiving the kind of education they are entitled to at their local school," Ms Grant said.
Conference on Qatar's implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
[Last updated Tuesday, June 10, 2008]
As appears on the Gulf Times. Steps to ensure rights of the disabled proposed. By Noimot Olayiwola
A NUMBER of measures for Qatar’s implementation of the UN International Convention on Rights of People With Disabilities were proposed at a conference yesterday.
Qatar ratified the convention on May 12 but is yet to sign the Optional Protocol, which serves as an instrument for policy-making and as a basis for technical and economic co-operation among countries.
The conference was jointly organised by the office of the UN Special Rapporteur and the Supreme Council for Family Affairs (SCFA).
Participating in the discussions were officials of ministries, non-governmental organisations, the Emiri Diwan and charitable organisations as well as people with disabilities (PWD).
In a draft communique, the participants urged the government to appoint a national representative who would be charged with the responsibility of addressing issues of concern to PWD.
They also recommended that a national committee be set up to register complaints from PWD regarding their rights and conduct investigations.
Other recommendations were: policy makers should ensure the rights of PWD; the government should conduct awareness campaigns on their rights and provide medical, health and social services; and the issue of the rights of the disabled should be integrated into the school curriculum.
Speaking at the opening ceremony of the conference, UN Special Rapporteur on Disabilities Sheikha Hessa bint Khalifa al-Thani praised SCFA chairperson HH Sheikha Mozah Nasser al-Misnad for her support to the cause.
“HH Sheikha Mozah’s effort towards achieving this goal is manifesting in her support for international developmental programmes, humanitarian activities, as well as her striving for modern revolutions, which is evident as a strong achievement in the creation of the UN special rapporteur on disabilities’ office in Qatar,” she said.
She said 190 countries have signed the convention while about 70 including Qatar have ratified it.
Sheikha Hessa stressed the need for awareness campaigns and training, which she said would impact positively on the lives of PWD.
SCFA secretary general Abdullah al-Khalifa highlighted the support and care provided by HH the Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Sheikha Mozah for the disabled.
“The SCFA since its inception in 1998 with the directive of HH Sheikha Mozah has always ensured support for PWD by giving them full rights and equal opportunity within different sectors of the society,” he said.
l Sheikha Hessa yesterday described her role and duties as well as achievements since being appointed UN Special Rapporteur on Disabilities in 2003.
Speaking in a presentation at the conference, Sheikha Hessa said that her primary role is to ensure that human rights of people with disabilities are not abused.
“The duty of the special rapporteur is to ensure that the convention is implemented according to its spirit and letter because it is a way of ensuring that those who are most likely to have their human rights abused and neglected are covered specifically in international human rights treaties,” she said.
“Among the major outcomes of the decade of disabled persons was the adoption by the General Assembly of the Standard Rules on the equalisation of opportunities for PWD in 1993. Although, not a legally binding instrument, the Standard Rules represent a strong moral and political commitment of governments to take action to attain equalisation of opportunities for PWD,” she said.
She stressed that Qatar has always abided by the rules and raised awareness among public and private organisations.
“I have also ensured proper monitoring of the cross-regional co-operation on issues of PWD as well as the introduction of right legislations concerning this category of people,” she said.
Sheikha Hessa added that she has organised seminars, workshops and meetings regionally and internationally to find ways of integrating PWD into society.
Sheikha Hessa is a member of numerous local and regional organisations, such as the Family Development Centre, the Qatari Society for People with Special Needs, and the Egypt-based Arab Network of Non-Governmental Organisations and Arab Council for Childhood and Development.
Users Demand a Say in Quality Social Services in Europe
[Last updated Tuesday, May 27, 2008]
Inclusion Europe
For Immediate Release
Users Demand a Say in Quality Social Services in Europe
Brussels, BELGIUM, 26 May 2008: Quality social services are one of the three pillars of active inclusion. Thus, the European Commission has set out to establish guiding principles in this area. For the civil rights movement of people with intellectual disabilities and their families one of the most important characteristics of service quality is the involvement of users in the design and management of social services, heeding the principle ‘Nothing about us, without us!’
The members of Inclusion Europe see representative User Councils as an appropriate means to organise user involvement. In a new Position Paper on User Councils in Special Services for People with Intellectual Disabilities, they have adopted principles on how the quality of services can be improved. The main thrust of the paper concerns the democratic representation of users in the management of those services which support them. The President of the European Platform of Self-Advocates, Andrew Doyle, affirms: “Having control over your own life is one of our major concerns. For some of us, using services is such a big part of our life. It is really important that we have a say about how this support is provided to us.” User Councils must thus be democratically elected and must be involved in all major decisions affecting each service such as:
• defining or revising the general objectives of the service,
• being an integral part of a complaint procedure,
• being involved in recruiting, and training or re-training staff, or
• being involved in the evaluation of the service quality. These principles follow the logic of designing a social service system which promotes active inclusion. As Mr Doyle points out: ‘Services are created for us, and it is clear that they should deliver what we want and need. By involving people in User Councils, you can do two important things. Firstly, you are meeting the challenge of creating high quality services, and secondly, you are truly promoting active inclusion directly and indirectly.’
This is certainly a challenge for people with disabilities and service providers alike. But without effective and efficient user participation and control, a social service will not be able to reach its quality objectives. The member organisations of Inclusion Europe have recognised this fact and are committed to promoting effective user involvement The position paper is available for download here:
English http://www.inclusion-europe.org/documents/PositionPaperUserCouncilsEN.pdf
French http://www.inclusion-europe.org/documents/PositionPaperUserCouncilsFR.pdf
German http://www.inclusion-europe.org/documents/PositionPaperUserCouncilsDE.pdf For any further information please contact secretariat@inclusion-europe.org
Press Release- Inclusion Europe: Respect for Children’s Rights is the Key to an Inclusive Future
[Last updated Thursday, May 8, 2008]
Brussels, 12 May 2008. Today, the United Nations celebrate in New York the entry into force of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. The members of Inclusion Europe, the European network of people with intellectual disabilities and their families, call upon the State Parties to ensure that children with intellectual disabilities and their families benefit from the Convention.
“Children with intellectual disabilities have the same needs and wishes as any other children: they want to have contact with their peers, play, laugh, and learn all the while developing into a respected member of society.” says Zdenka Petrovic, Board Member of Inclusion Europe. “In all European countries children with disabilities have fewer opportunities and are more vulnerable than their non-disabled peers.”
Children with disabilities are more likely to be denied equal opportunities for their development and suffer from abuses such as abandonment, violence, harassment, bullying and sexual assault. They are denied education at an equal level to others, and have less access to healthy living conditions and health care. They are also often excluded from leisure, cultural or sports activities, which are crucial for their personal development and for finding their place in the society. As a result of their need for additional support, their families often live in poverty which reduces their chances of development.
In its Position Paper, Inclusion Europe analyses the possible impact the UN Convention can have on this situation. In Article 7, the Convention places a clear obligation on governments: “States Parties shall take all necessary measures to ensure the full enjoyment by children with disabilities of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on an equal basis with other children.”
Governments should develop and implement comprehensive policies for supporting all families with disabled children, also considering the needs of brothers and sisters, enhancing employment opportunities for the primary caretaker (most often the mother), and the financial situation of the family as a whole. Governments should also ensure access to free and comprehensive health care, early identification and early intervention services for all children. The need for special support services should, however, never lead to the exclusion of children from their families and from their social environment or to their placement in residential institutions.
“Most of all, we need an inclusive mainstream education for all children” highlights Ms Petrovic. “All existing pre-school services and schools should be obliged to include all children from their locality without exception. This would pave the way to a real inclusion in society later in life.”
The Position Paper is available for download at :
http://www.inclusion-europe.org/main.php?lang=EN&level=1&s=85&mode=nav1&n1=170
INCLUSION INTERNATIONAL DENOUNCES USE OF WOMEN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES IN SUICIDE BOMBINGS
[Last updated Thursday, February 7, 2008]
February 2008 – Inclusion International (II), a federation of 200 family-based organizations advocating for the human rights of people with intellectual disabilities worldwide. Inclusion International denounces the disturbing incident in Baghdad, which reports allege involved two women with intellectual disabilities who were used as “suicide” bombers and decries the use of vulnerable people in any act of violence. While it is unclear whether these women were acting voluntarily; whether they understood their actions or whether they were simply victimized by extremists due to their disability, there can be no justification for the abuse of innocent people in acts of violence.
This is not an isolated incident as reports suggest the use of disabled people in numerous suicide bombings. These attacks and the specific targeting of people with disabilities in their actions are abhorrent human rights abuses.
The new UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities specifically commits to protection in situations of armed conflict “States parties shall take, in accordance with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law and international human rights law, all necessary measures to ensure protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the occurrence of natural disasters.”
Inclusion International, calls on world leaders and all parties in conflict situations to desist from further victimizing people with intellectual disabilities. We appeal to all parties who are contributing to the increased risk and vulnerability of people with disability to respect the human rights of people with disability. We look to join efforts with public and private sector actors, including civil society, to protect the human rights of people with disabilities, especially those people in armed conflict.
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