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A Step Forward for Disability Rights
By Andrea Shettle, MSW | August 15, 2008
One participating finalist in the Guardian International Development Journalism Competition wrote a news story about the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), entitled "Disability Rights: Missing an Open Goal?" The author, Jemma Nevilla, discusses the importance of the CRPD to the world’s 650 million people with disabilities, particularly people living in developing countries.
The UK publication, Guardian, held their journalism competition in association with the UK Department for International Development and international pharmaceutical company GSK, in partnership with Marie Stopes International, Camfed International, International HIV/Aids Alliance, HelpAge International, Plan UK, the Malaria Consortium, Sightsavers International and WaterAid. The purpose of the competition is to bring attention to the Millennium Development Goals, which are meant to promote global reduction in absolute poverty; a reversal in the growth of HIV/AIDS; gender equality; universal access to primary school education; and other goals.
The CRPD is the first legally binding international treaty among the world’s nations to protect the human rights of people with disabilities. It protects a wide range of human rights, including the right to rehabilitation and habilitation services; the right to live in the community (not an institution); freedom from abuse, torture, and violent exploitation; the right to receive information in accessible formats; and many more.
Nevilla’s article points out that the Millennium Development Goals do not mention disability, despite the importance of people with disabilities to achieving those goals. She says, "The UN Convention is a step toward recognition that all of us must be provided with the opportunities to live life to the fullest potential, whatever that may be, and in so doing the economic workforce as a whole can unlock its shared potential."
Read the whole article in the Guardian at http://www.guardian.co.uk/journalismcompetition/disability.rights
Learn more about the CRPD and Optional Protocol by skimming the RatifyNow FAQ.
Find out if your country has signed or ratified the CRPD at http://www.un.org/disabilities/countries.asp?navid=12&pid=166
Learn how you can become involved with the global campaign to promote the ratification and implementation of the CRPD and Optional Protocol in your country and elsewhere.
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