European Union report says disability rights 'not being respected'
From
TheParliament.com:
A new report says that discrimination against people with
intellectual disabilities and people with mental health problems
"persists" throughout Europe.
The report, by the EU Agency
for Fundamental Rights (FRA), said this is the case despite the
ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD) by the EU and 21 member states.
The FRA says
the report "captures the experiences of exclusion and discrimination" of
people with intellectual disabilities or mental health problems.
The
agency says it "highlights the need to move from institutional to
community-based living arrangements and to "reformulate" laws and
policies to make them "more inclusive".
FRA director Morten
Kjaerum said, "Much still remains to be done to realise the rights of
Europe's 80 million people with disabilities.
"The UN convention
sets out an ambitious path to improve the situation of people with
disabilities. The challenge now is to implement it.
"FRA's
research illustrates that the fundamental rights of people with
disabilities are lagging behind legal guarantees, particularly as
austerity measures begin to bite.
"This work provides the basis for discussions of practical measures that will make a difference to their daily lives."
The
FRA looked into the experiences of independent living of people with
intellectual disabilities and people with mental health problems in nine
member states.
It found that they often face difficulties in
their daily lives, including laws and policies that do not enable people
with disabilities to live independently.
Another problem was "negative attitudes and prejudice that do not recognise the contribution people with disabilities make".
Kjaerum
added, "The report shows that for independent living to be successful,
deinstitutionalisation needs to be coupled with social policy reform in
education, healthcare, employment and personal support options.
"People with disabilities have to be involved in the development of these policies."
