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Persons with disabilities:
A treaty seeks to break new ground in ensuring equality

A milestone international accord is in the works to promote the rights of persons with disabilities.

This May, governments will consider a breakthrough treaty on persons with disabilities, which, if approved, would create a legally binding framework for the protection and promotion of their rights. It will go far beyond the traditional concept of access to the physical environment to a broader implication of equal access to social opportunities, health, education, employment and effective political, economic and social development. And in a dramatic global leap, governments that sign on will be legally bound to treat persons with disabilities not just as victims or a minority, but as subjects of the law with enforceable rights.

An initiative proposed by Mexico in 2001 at the fifty-fifth session of the UN General Assembly led to the drafting of the Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. The increasing international acknowledgement of disability rights as human rights can be traced to the International Year of Disabled Persons (1981), which led to the adoption of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons. The early nineties saw the adoption of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. In the same decade, the UN Human Rights Commission recognized that it was up to the international community to create a legal framework to protect the rights of people with disabilities.

The rights of persons with disabilities are only covered implicitly by the existing human rights conventions to the extent that they apply to all human beings. Only the Convention on the Rights of the Child makes explicit reference to children with disabilities in one article. At the same time, instruments that address the rights of people with disabilities are legally non-binding. Consequently, persons with disabilities face the dilemma of being legally “invisible” in their societies and even in the international arena. Most concerns raised by persons with disabilities have been largely treated as part of a social welfare approach. Now they stand to become “rights holders” and “subjects of law” with full participation in the formulation and implementation of plans and policies affecting them.

The road ahead is an obstacle course of competing viewpoints. Some countries are pushing for a comprehensive convention that not only restates the rights contained in existing human rights instruments, but goes further to provide tangible services and equal opportunities. Others have pointed out that the rights of persons with disabilities are intrinsically connected with the economic resources of a country. They are therefore concerned that in the developing world the financial burden of compliance will make a treaty unappealing to many governments which are committed to the principle of equal opportunity but could not make it a reality. The unique feature about this treaty is that the process of negotiation is open, consultative and accessible to persons with disabilities and their organizations as they work together with government experts at the United Nations. Partnership is the key word – both as governments develop their own inputs to the convention and as they work together in the drafting process. Clearly, this new legal instrument brings to the fore the need to raise awareness of a wide range of related issues, and this is an area where the media can play a key role in focusing attention on a matter of vital concern to some 600 million people worldwide who experience disabilities of various types and degrees.

http://www.un.org/events/tenstories/story.asp?storyID=1000

Now what I would like is a discussion, on this topic.  I know that, quite a few are disabled here at Christians Unite. Biblical quotes, lets see them............ ;D

Now a few questions I have.............
1. How are they going to enforce this treat?
2. What are they likely to do to countries that do not enforce this treaty?


Anyone else with questions, please ask away...........

Resting in the Lords arms.
Bob

hmmm...long overdue! It will be interesting to see how this unfolds when may comes.
Thanks for sharing that.

Our governments need  men who will rise up with the spirit of Job so  that they can say: "For I was a saviour to the poor when he was crying for help, to the child with no father, and to him who had no supporter. The blessing of him who was near to destruction came on me, and I put a song of joy into the widow's heart. I put on righteousness as my clothing, and was full of it; right decisions were to me a robe and a head-dress. I was eyes to the blind, and feet to him who had no power of walking. I was a father to the poor, searching out the cause of him who was strange to me." Job 29


Keep resting in His arms!  :)

Being that I am handicapped and Dad to a handicapped daughter and son-in-law I am very interested in this. I need more information though before I make any further comment on it. Such as exactly what this "treaty" says.

My concern on this is we are moving closer to a global socialistic/communistic government and such a treaty as this might move that along quicker.

(I have no Biblical quotes on this yet)

Finally, I found the wording, after 2 hours of looking.................

Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities

Family life and personal integrity

States should promote the full participation of persons with disabilities in family life. They should promote their right to personal integrity and ensure that laws do not discriminate against persons with disabilities with respect to sexual relationships, marriage and parenthood.

Persons with disabilities should be enabled to live with their families. States should encourage the inclusion in family counselling of appropriate modules regarding disability and its effects on family life. Respite-care and attendant-care services should be made available to families which include a person with disabilities. States should remove all unnecessary obstacles to persons who want to foster or adopt a child or adult with disabilities.

Persons with disabilities must not be denied the opportunity to experience their sexuality, have sexual relationships and experience parenthood. Taking into account that persons with disabilities may experience difficulties in getting married and setting up a family, States should encourage the availability of appropriate counselling. Persons with disabilities must have the same access as others to family-planning methods, as well as to information in accessible form on the sexual functioning of their bodies.

States should promote measures to change negative attitudes towards marriage, sexuality and parenthood of persons with disabilities, especially of girls and women with disabilities, which still prevail in society. The media should be encouraged to play an important role in removing such negative attitudes.

Persons with disabilities and their families need to be fully informed about taking precautions against sexual and other forms of abuse. Persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to abuse in the family, community or institutions and need to be educated on how to avoid the occurrence of abuse, recognize when abuse has occurred and report on such acts.


Article 14
RESPECT FOR PRIVACY, THE HOME AND THE FAMILY

Persons with disabilities, including those living in institutions, shall not be subjected to arbitrary or unlawful interference with their privacy, and shall have the right to the protection of the law against such interference. States Parties to this Convention shall take effective measures to protect the privacy of the home, family, correspondence45 and medical records of persons with disabilities and their choice to take decisions on personal matters.

States Parties to this Convention shall take effective and appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against persons with disabilities in all matters relating to marriage and family relations,46 and in particular shall ensure:

that persons with disabilities are not denied the equal opportunity to experience their sexuality, have sexual and other intimate relationships, and experience parenthood;

the right of all men and women with disabilities who are of marriageable age to marry on the basis of free and full consent of the intending spouses, and to found a family;

the rights of persons with disabilities to decide freely and responsibly on the number and spacing of their children 47 on an equal basis with other persons48 and to have access to information, reproductive and family planning education, and the means necessary to enable them to exercise these rights;

the rights of persons with disabilities with regard to guardianship, wardship, trusteeship and adoption of children, or similar institutions where these concepts exist in national legislation. For the purpose of guaranteeing these rights, States Parties shall render appropriate assistance to disabled parents in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities;49

that a child shall not be separated from his or her parents against their will, except when competent authorities subject to judicial review determine, in accordance with applicable law and procedures, that such separation is necessary for the best interests of the child. The child shall not however be separated from parents with disabilities on the basis either directly or indirectly of their disability;50

the promotion of awareness and the provision of information aimed at changing negative perceptions and social prejudices towards sexuality, marriage and parenthood of persons with disabilities.
<snip>

The article is long............
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/comp401.htm#1.11
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/enable/comp400.htm
^^ this is the Title page.^^

Resting in the Lords arms.
Bob

I didn't mean to make you spend two hours looking for it. I do appreciate the time and effort you put out on it.

It looks good on the face of it but some of the wording seems to have a few loop holes in it where it could be abused by certain official agencies. Call me a skeptic  but.....

I didn't see your post till after I found the article. I started looking after I posted the first post.

As far as being a skeptic................

Call me one as well.

Love and Grace
Bob