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Reaching for Freedom in Ireland, Under Disability Rights Treaty
By Andrea Shettle, MSW | August 19, 2008
About 3,000 people with disabilities in Ireland still live in institutions–but authorities are working to change that, says the Irish Times ("3,000 people with disabilities living in outdated institutions"). It will take years and a significant investment of funds. but the goal is to integrate all 3,000 into the community.
The Irish Times reports that one reason health authorities are moving forward on this issue is because Ireland signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) last year. The CRPD is the first international, legally-binding agreement among countries to protect the human rights of people with disabilities. It protects a wide range of human rights such as the right to accessible public transportation; the right to sign contracts and own property; the right to be free of abuse and torture; the right to an education and health care; and many more. Article 19 of the CRPD protects the rights of people with disabilities to choose their own living arrangement on an equal basis to other people and their right to be included in the wider community.
Signing an international treaty, such as the CRPD, is the first step toward ratifying it. Countries that ratify the CRPD must create new laws as needed to help protect the human rights covered in the treaty and must abolish laws that violate it. Ireland has not yet completed the process of ratifying the treaty. A country is not legally obligated to obey the CRPD until 30 days after the date on which they ratify it. However, signing a treaty does obligate the country to avoid any actions that would violate the spirit and intent of the treaty. Becoming a signatory (i.e., signing the treaty) also signals strong interest in ratifying the treaty in the future.
Read more about people with disabilities in Irish institutions and what is being done to free them in the Irish Times at:
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/frontpage/2008/0719/1216398986860.html
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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One Response to “Reaching for Freedom in Ireland, Under Disability Rights Treaty”
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August 19th, 2008 at 1:46 pm
[…] Reaching for Freedom in Ireland, Under Disability Rights Treaty […]