Today's Weather
Light Rain
High: 70° F
Low: 61° F |
Ad Hoc Committee Meeting
Today's Schedule
10 AM - 1 PM
Elements to be Considered
Discussion
3 PM - 6 PM
Follow Up and Monitoring
Discussion |
Disability Awareness Badge of Honor
Kofi Annan
for "Convention? Yes!"
and Tunisia for echoing "nothing about us without us"
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Disability Awareness Badge of Dishonor
Australia
for continued reference to an annexation of disability rights to existing
documents |
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Kofi Annan Says:
"Convention? YES!"
Photo by Dalma Foldes, Landmine Survivors Network, June 19, 2003
Women and Disability in the United States
Excerpt by from Disability World (www.disabilityworld.org) By Cindy Higgins, Research
Information on Independent Living Project
- Less than one-quarter of women with severe disabilities had a job or business compared
with 27.8% of men with a severe disability.
- A less severe disability resulted in 68.4% of women to be employed or have a business
versus 85.1% of men with comparable disability.
- Women with disabilities were represented the most in traditionally female-dominated
professions, such as registered nurses, elementary and secondary teachers, and librarians.
- Women with severe disabilities had the lowest earnings of any group with median monthly
earnings of $1,000.
- Men with severe disabilities had higher earnings than women with non-severe
disabilities.
- About 40% of women with a severe work disability lived in poverty. Of those who received
work disability benefits from Social Security, more men received higher disabled worker
benefits than women. Women with disabilities received lower rates then men.
Disability Rights Are Women’s Rights
All women, including women with disabilities, share the dream of full equality. Women
deserve a future with economic and personal independence, educational and employment
options, justice in the courts, unrestricted access to information, reproductive freedom,
and full participation in society.
While all women face barriers to achieving this equality, women with disabilities face
multiple forms of discrimination, making it even more difficult. Women with disabilities
are disproportionately affected by unequal wages, unemployment, poverty, sexual and
physical abuse, lack of access to adequate health care, and many other impediments to
equality.
The U.N. Convention to Eliminate All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is
an important step towards women’s equality. CEDAW is the most comprehensive and
detailed international agreement that seeks the advancement of women. It establishes
rights for women in areas not previously subject to international standards and is a
powerful tool in holding governments accountable for improving the status of women. It
aims to abolish discrimination against women in political, economic and social arenas and
ensures women’s access to their rights.
However, CEDAW lacks specific protections needed for women with disabilities. Women
with disabilities need both CEDAW and a Convention on Disability Rights in order to gain
meaningful access and to enjoy the full benefits of their basic rights. Additionally,
states must commit to fully enforce these conventions once they are ratified.
A Convention on Disability Rights would eliminate architectural and social
barriers—discrimination, segregation from society, economic and political
marginalization— that prevent women with disabilities from living independent lives.
For example, a disability rights treaty would make a critical difference in the area of
education. Studies have shown that people with disabilities are less likely to receive
adequate education and they often leave school with fewer skills and qualifications. For
women and girls with disabilities this problem is compounded by sex discrimination. They
face not only exclusion and lack of access to resources and their rights, they also face
deliberate and active measures taken against them. Some such measures include involuntary
institutionalization, forced abortion and sterilization, and psychiatric drugging. A
Disability Rights Treaty working synergistically with CEDAW would lead to significant
progress in ensuring women with disabilities access to their rights and would offer
protection from human rights abuses.
People with Down's Syndrome Disrupt Screening Conference
By: Simone Aspis and Anya Souza, Human Genetics Alert
Woman with Down's syndrome tells doctors: 'I am a person not a disease.'
On May 19th, a group of people with Down's Syndrome and their supporters disrupted the
International Down Syndrome Screening Conference at Regents College in London. This is the
first time people with Down's Syndrome have made such a protest and is a major new step in
the debate about genetics, eugenics and the rights of disabled people. As a result of the
protest, the conference organisers allowed Anya Souza to speak from the platform. Ms
Souza, who is a trustee of the Down Syndrome Association, told the doctors that she
opposes Down's Syndrome screening and that people with Down's Syndrome are people not
medical problems. Her speech was warmly applauded by the conference delegates
The protesters consisted of three people with Down's Syndrome, another disabled person
with learning disabilities and their families and supporters. They had written to the
conference organisers in advance and asked to speak, but were refused by the main
organizer. It is unacceptable that doctors discuss better ways of preventing people with
Down's Syndrome being born, whilst excluding their voices from the debate. This runs
directly counter to one of the main demands of disabled people: 'Nothing about us without
us'. The protesters expect that their action will persuade the conference organisers to
ensure a full debate at next year’s conference with proper representation of disabled
people with learning difficulties. This should be the start of a national debate on
prenatal screening.
Women with Disabilities: Opportunities and Challenges in the
Development of a Convention
The government of South Africa and the United Nations Development Fund for Women
(UNIFEM) is hosting a luncheon briefing on Women with Disabilities: Opportunities
and challenges for women’s rights activities in the development of a Convention on
the human rights of people with disabilities. Several distinguished speakers are
scheduled to participate, including: Roxanne Carrillo, Advisor to the
Executive Director/Human Rights, UNIFEM; Sebenzile Matsebula, Director of
the Office on the Status of Disabled Persons, The Presidency of South Africa; Dr.
Theresia Degener, Professor of Law, Germany, Co-author, OHCHR report "Human
Rights and Disability"; Anuradha Mohit, Special Rapporteur, National
Human Rights Commission, India; Charlotte Bunch, Executive Director,
Center for Women’s Global Leadership, US; and Charlotte McClain,
Commissioner, Human Rights Commission, South Africa.
According to Ms. Matsebula, the moderator of the briefing, this issue is particularly
timely and important because the disability community needs to "begin mainstreaming
the issue of women with disabilities into the [general] women’s movement. Women with
disabilities and non-disabled women share a common vision, similar issues and challenges.
While the women’s movement has gained world recognition, issues of women with
disabilities have been marginalized."
The luncheon is schedule for today, June 20 th , from 1-3 PM in the West Terrace Room
in the Delegates Dining Room (4 th floor, UN Secretariat) and is open to all participants.
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Supporting Organizations
 American Association of People with Disabilities
American Council of the Blind
Center for International Rehabilitation
China Disabled Persons' Federation
ouncil of Canadians with Disabilities
Disabled Peoples' International
European Disability Forum
Inter-American Institute on Disability
Landmine Survivors Network
Mental Disability Rights International
People Who
Rehabilitation International
Support Coalition International
United States International Council on Disabilities
World Blind Union
World Institute on Disability
World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry
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Handicap International
In 20 years of existence, Handicap International has developed holistic disability
programs in 45 countries (Eastern Europe, Latin America, Asia, Africa, and France). Our
programmes are based in partnership with Disabled People’s Organisations,
Non-Governmental Organisations, Governmental Organisations and service providers. Our aim
is to raise the disability questions as a cross-cutting issue in all sectors and at all
levels. To achieve this, strong networking is crucial.
Handicap International follows the "twin tracks" approach to disability and
development:
- Activities must ensure that disability issues are taken into active consideration in
mainstream development work.
- Providing active support to specific initiatives for the empowerment of people with
disabilities is a second fundamental issue.
Some can argue that rather than creating another specific convention, we should lobby
to ensure the full implementation of conventions. But, the appalling situation of people
with disabilities in the world proves that it is now essential to establish a thematic
convention:
- To drive attention to the existence of the disabled population
- To ensure the equality towards their rights as everyone else
- To facilitate and mainstream the disability issues within the 6 existing United Nations
human rights instruments
The drawing-up of a UN convention on the human rights of people with disabilities is a
fantastic opportunity to create new dynamics and mobilize all stakeholders around the
question of disabled people’s rights.
Based on 20 years of a large range of practical experiences in more than 50 countries
mainly in the developing world, the Handicap International participation in this second Ad
Hoc Committee is intended to help promote a fully comprehensive convention, including
political, civil, economic, social and cultural rights. This would achieve
non-discrimination, accommodation of the difference and full participation for all.
As a contribution to this event, Handicap International, in close collaboration with
the Landmine Survivors Network, will be circulating information (in English and French)
about this second Ad Hoc Committee throughout its entire network.
Claude Simonnot (csimonnot@handicap-international.org)
Philippe Chervin (pchervin@handicap-international.org)
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