Joint statement on disabled children’s rights

Date: 3rd May 2022
Category: UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

group of children

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child and the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have expressed concern that discrimination against disabled children makes them disproportionately vulnerable to violence, including corporal punishment, neglect and abuse, in all settings, such as the family home, mental health, educational, or childcare institutions. Subsequently, the Committees call on States to urgently adopt comprehensive strategies to stop this.

Measures States may wish to make can be of a legislative, educational, administrative, cultural and political nature. They can cover areas such as health, social services, education and justice. Strategies adopted by States should comprise of preventive measures, which may include awareness-raising and education of parents, professionals and disabled children.