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Lesotho Ratifies Disability Rights Treaty
By Andrea Shettle, MSW | December 8, 2008
Lesotho became the 42nd country to ratify the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on December 2, 2008.
The CRPD is the first legally binding, international agreement among countries that protects the human rights of people with disabilities. It protects a wide range of human rights, including the right to access education, health care, and public transportation services; the right to vote and participate in public and cultural life; the right to live in the community with one’s family rather than an institution; and many more.
The Optional Protocol gives people with disabilities in ratifying countries extra protection for their human rights. If someone feels their human rights has been violated under the CRPD, they must first pursue all means of justice that are available within their country. If all of these attempts fail, and if their country has ratified the Optional Protocol, they may then bring a complaint to the international Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Committee is authorized to investigate these complaints.
In addition to the 42 countries that have ratified the CRPD, another 94 countries have expressed formal interest in ratifying it in the future. This is done by signing the Convention. Signing the CRPD does not legally bind the country to obeying it, but it does equate a pledge to avoid taking any action that would directly violate its intent and spirit. Signing the CRPD is usually a first step toward ratifying it later on.
Out of the 136 countries that have signed the CRPD, 79 also have signed the Optional Protocol; 25 of these have ratified it. However, Lesotho has neither signed nor ratified the Optional Protocol. Other African countries that have ratified the CRPD include: Egypt, Gabon, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, Niger, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda.
Learn more about the CRPD and also about the accompanying Optional Protocol.
Learn how you can become involved with the global campaign to promote the ratification and implementation of both the CRPD and the Optional Protocol in your country and elsewhere.
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