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Nigerians with Disabilities Protest Banks, Buses for Failing to Implement International Disability Rights Treaty
By Andrea Shettle, MSW | July 19, 2008
People with disabilities in Nigeria have recently picketed local commercial banks and protested against the public bus system because they have failed to take steps to become more accessible, Newswatch has reported (read article entitled "Protest of Disabled Persons").
Nigeria is one of 129 countries that have signed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and one of 81 countries that have signed the accompanying Optional Protocol. However, Nigeria has not yet ratified either treaty. A country must fully ratify an international treaty, such as the CRPD, before it is legally obligated to fully obey and implement it. Signing a treaty is a strong signal of ratifying it in the future. A country that signs a treaty also must avoid violating its intent and spirit. So far, 29 of the signatory countries have gone on to ratify the CRPD and 18 have ratified the Optional Protocol.
The CRPD is the first international, legally binding treaty to protect the human rights of people with disabilities. It obligates ratifying countries to ensure that people with disabilities are able to access public accommodations–such as banks or transportation systems. The treaty also protects a wide range of other rights such as freedom from abuse and torture; access to education and health services; the right to liberty; the right to legal capacity (i.e., the right to make one’s own choices about how they lead their own lives); the right to procreate, and the right to obtain contraception; and many more. The Optional Protocol gives people with disabilities another way to pursue redress for human rights violations by petitioning the international Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Read more about the protests in Nigeria at:
http://www.newswatchngr.com/editorial/allaccess/special/10615141958.htm
Learn more about the CRPD and how it is meant to help in the RatifyNow FAQ.
Become involved in the global movement to promote the CRPD and ensure that it is, not only signed, but also ratified and implemented in countries around the world.
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