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Over five hundred million people, nearly 10 percent of the world’s population, have a disability.
Every day, millions of people with disabilities are subjected to inhumane and degrading treatment, including forced institutionalization and physical abuse.
Existing legal protections are not sufficient to safeguard the rights of people with disabilities, especially in developing countries where approximately two thirds of people with disabilities live.
Even in the few countries that have passed comprehensive disability legislation, people with disabilities still face mistreatment, discrimination and barriers to access and inclusion in employment, housing, education, transportation, emergency assistance and other services.
It’s time for change.
The United Nations (UN) is currently negotiating a treaty, called the "Comprehensive and Integral International Convention to Promote and Protect the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities1," to ensure that human rights standards are extended to people with disabilities. Please add your name to the online petition urging government leaders to ratify a strong Convention. |
