Resources search

Let me decide and thrive - Global discrimination and exclusion of girls and young women with disabilities

PLAN INTERNATIONAL
December 2017

Expand view

Girls and young women with disabilities have the right to make decisions over their own bodies and live free from violence and fear. Yet, on a global level, they are the people least likely to enjoy their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). Compelled by this reality, Plan International and the Office of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have joined forces to ensure young women and girls with disabilities can exercise choice and have control over their bodies. The Let Me Decide and Thrive initiative is supported by in-depth, critical field and desk research and aims to empower girls and young women with disabilities, raise awareness of their plight among stakeholders, and work to secure their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

This research found that the barriers to SRHR confronted by girls and young women with disabilities are overwhelming: infantilisation and disempowerment; forced sterilisation, abortion, and contraception; disproportionate suffering from all forms of violence; substantial barriers in accessing justice; discriminatory attitudes, norms, and behaviours rendering them invisible; and a lack of accessible and appropriate SRHR information and services.

Growing Together. Child participation through the project journey. Management of a children’s club by the children themselves

HANDICAP INTERNATIONAL
December 2017

Expand view

An overview is presented of a project in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Thailand to:

  • To support communities in raising socially and emotionally healthy kids in refugee/IDPs camps and in host communities.
  • To create opportunities for children with disabilities and other vulnerable children (0-12 years old) including children at risk of developmental delays/psychological distress in displacement contexts, to learn and develop safely while having fun.
  • Using “play” as key driver to learn and develop safely children’s potential while having fun.

The project was implemented using:

  • Existing HI tools (Personalized Social Support, Adapted Physical Activity, etc.)
  • Tools piloted in IKEA project (Blue Box, low-cost toy making, inclusive playgrounds, Ideas box)
  • Environmental Footprint Assessment across 3 project sites

Monitoring & evaluation was carried out using techniques including

  • Scopeo (Sc-ore O-f Pe-rceived O-utcomes) Kids
  • Participatory M&E approaches (digital story telling, child-child video interview etc) 

Presented at the People at the centre Seminar, Dec 2017 

 

Report of the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism on her mission to the United Republic of Tanzania

ERO, Ikponwosa
December 2017

Expand view

In accordance with the mandate set out in Human Rights Council resolution 28/6 and at the invitation of the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania, the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism, Ikponwosa Ero, conducted an official visit to the United Republic of Tanzania from 18 to 28 July 2017. The objective of the visit was to assess the human rights situation of persons with albinism throughout the country, with particular attention to be given to the relatively high number of reports of attacks against them

The Convention on Cluster Munitions: A treaty to end decades of civilian suffering

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE RED CROSS
October 2017

Expand view

In May 2008, more than 100 States adopted the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which prohibits the use, development, production, stockpiling and transfer of such munitions. It also requires States Parties to destroy their stockpiles, clear remnants, and assist victims.

This brochure provides an overview of the cluster munitions problem, the main provisions of the Convention and the steps required to meet its commitments.

L’autonomisation de personnes vulnérables, notamment des personnes handicapées, dans un contexte dépourvu de services et de ressources

ROCHE, Audrey
October 2017

Expand view

Cette publication est le produit d’un processus de capitalisation de l'expérience en insertion socioéconomique de personnes handicapées acquise par Handicap International et ses partenaires de mise en œuvre dans le cadre du projet TEAM CONGO à Kananga en RDC. L’objectif de cette capitalisation est d’une part, d’exposer la méthodologie en matière d’insertion socio-économique appliquée à Kananga, en détaillant les 2 principales bonnes pratiques - l’Accompagnement Social Personnalisé avec une approche holistique, et l’accès au capital économique via des micro-crédits- et les leçons apprises afin que les équipes d’Handicap International, les agences gouvernementales, et les organisations travaillant dans le domaine de l’Insertion socio-économique des personnes handicapées et personnes très vulnérables, puissent les utiliser dans le cadre de futures interventions. D’autre part, cette capitalisation vise à ébaucher des recommandations pour les futures interventions qui pourraient avoir lieu dans ce domaine en République Démocratique du Congo (RDC) ou dans des contextes similaires, dans lesquels les initiatives publiques ou privées en faveur de l'insertion économique des populations vulnérables comme l’offre de formation professionnelle, les opportunités d'emploi formel et l’accès au capital sont rares, voire même inexistantes. Une méthodologie d'action détaillée et adaptée à des contextes pauvres en ressources, sera ainsi proposée, à la lumière de l’expérience du volet d’insertion socio-économique du projet TEAM CONGO.

Including children with disabilities in humanitarian action: Health and HIV/AIDS

DINSMORE, Christine
October 2017

Expand view

This guidance is designed for UNICEF field staff – including humanitarian field officers, coordinators, specialist and advisors – as well as UNICEF’s partners and others involved in humanitarian work. It provides practical tips and offers entry points for making sure that humanitarian action takes children with disabilities into account. There are 5 other associated guidelines. 

Chapters include: 

impact of emergiencies on health of children and adolescents with disabilities
why children and adolescents with disabilities are excluded health and HIV/AIDS interventions
frameworks and approaches
programmatic actions
preparedness
response and early recovery
recovery and reconstruction
practical tips

Including children with disabilities in humanitarian action: Education

DINSMORE, Christine
Ed
October 2017

Expand view

This guidance is designed for UNICEF field staff – including humanitarian field officers, coordinators, specialist and advisors – as well as UNICEF’s partners and others involved in humanitarian work. It provides practical tips and offers entry points for making sure that humanitarian action takes children with disabilities into account. There are 5 other associated guidelines. 

Chapters include: 

  • impact of emergiencies on the education of children and adolescents with disabilities
  • why children and adolescents with disabilities are excluded from education interventions
  • frameworks and approaches
  • programmatic actions
  • preparedness
  • response and early recovery
  • recovery and reconstruction
  • practical tips
  • accessible infrastructure tips

Including children with disabilities in humanitarian action: Child protection

DINSMORE, Christine
Ed
September 2017

Expand view

This guidance is designed for UNICEF field staff – including humanitarian field officers, coordinators, specialist and advisors – as well as UNICEF’s partners and others involved in humanitarian work. It provides practical tips and offers entry points for making sure that humanitarian action takes children with disabilities into account. There are 5 other associated guidelines. 

Chapters include: 

  • impact of emergiencies on the protection of children and adolescents with disabilities
  • why children and adolescents with disabilities are excluded from child protection interventions
  • frameworks and approaches
  • programmatic actions
  • preparedness
  • response and early recovery
  • recovery and reconstruction
  • practical tips
  • accessible infrastructure tips

 

 

Operational guidance on accountability to affected population

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION (WHO)
August 2017

Expand view

This website presents an operational guidance on Accountability to Affected Population (AAP). 

This Operational Guidance on Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) is designed to assist Health Cluster Coordination Teams in leading, with cluster partners, emergency responses that have strong and robust accountability systems, through which affected populations can increasingly influence the type, delivery and quality of assistance they receive.

A guide for ensuring equity and inclusion in education

UNESCO
July 2017

Expand view

This guide is intended to support countries in embedding inclusion and equity in educational policy. It supports Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 on education calls for inclusive and equitable quality education and lifelong learning opportunities for all by 2030. The guide is intended for use primarily by key government education policy-makers working with key stakeholders. The guide provides an assessment framework that can serve to: review how well equity and inclusion currently figure in existing policies; decide which actions are needed to improve policies and their implementation towards equitable and inclusive education systems; and monitor progress. The guide includes evidence that informs the assessment framework, examples of initiatives that are contributing to more inclusive and equitable education systems in different parts of the world, and recommendations for further reading. 

Including children with disabilities in humanitarian action

UNICEF
July 2017

Expand view

"The purpose of Including Children with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action is to strengthen the inclusion of children and women with disabilities, and their families, in emergency preparedness, response and early recovery, and recovery and reconstruction. This series of booklets provides insight into the situation of children with disabilities in humanitarian contexts, highlights the ways in which they are excluded from humanitarian action, and offers practical actions and tips to better include children and adolescents with disabilities in all stages of humanitarian action. The booklets were created in response to UNICEF colleagues in the field expressing a need for a practical resource to guide their work. The information and recommendations are based on evidence and good practices gathered from literature and field staff experiences. The six booklets on how to include children and adolescents with disabilities in humanitarian programmes are as follows: 1) general guidance; 2) child protection; 3) education; 4) health and HIV/AIDS; 5) nutrition; 6) water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)".

General guidance available July 2017. Others to follow.

In addition to the PDF versions in English, Arabic and French, the guidance is also available in a range of accessible formats, including EPUB, a Braille-ready file and accessible HTML formats. 

The guidance was developed in collaboration with Handicap International.

Including children with disabilities in humanitarian action: WASH

DINSMORE, Christine
Ed
June 2017

Expand view

This guidance is designed for UNICEF field staff – including humanitarian field officers, coordinators, specialist and advisors – as well as UNICEF’s partners and others involved in humanitarian work. It provides practical tips and offers entry points for making sure that humanitarian action takes children with disabilities into account. There are 5 other associated guidelines. 

Chapters include: 

  • impact of emergiencies on children and adolescents with disabilities access to WASH
  • why children and adolescents with disabilities are excluded from WASH interventions
  • frameworks and approaches
  • programmatic actions
  • preparedness
  • response and early recovery
  • recovery and reconstruction
  • practical tips
  • accessible infrastructure tips

A new way to measure child functioning

UNICEF
WASHINGTON GROUP
May 2017

Expand view

"In recognizing the need for a set of questions that would produce internationally comparable data on children, the Washington Group formed a subgroup in 2009 that is chaired by the National Statistical Office of Italy (ISTAT). UNICEF joined the subgroup in 2011.

The first main activity of the subgroup was the development of a short set of questions to reflect current thinking on child functioning for inclusion in censuses and surveys. The new module uses the ICF-CY as the conceptual framework and relies on a functional approach to measuring disability.

The Washington Group/UNICEF Module on Child Functioning, finalized in 2016, covers children between 2 and 17 years of age and assesses functional difficulties in different domains including hearing, vision, communication/comprehension, learning, mobility and emotions. To better reflect the degree of functional difficulty, each area is assessed against a rating scale. The purpose is to identify the subpopulation of children who are at greater risk than other children of the same age or who are experiencing limited participation in an unaccommodating environment. The set of questions is intended for use in national household surveys and censuses"

The module is being translated into multiple languages. Supporting documentation, including a concept note, tabulation plan, templates for reporting, guidelines for interviewers and training materials are also available.

South Sudan: People with disabilities, older people face danger

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
May 2017

Expand view

It is reported that people with disabilities and older people in South Sudan face greater risks of being caught in fighting and greater challenges in getting necessary humanitarian assistance. In February and March 2017, Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 45 people with disabilities and older people in displacement sites in Juba and Malakal, as well as in Panyijar county in the former Unity state, where the UN declared famine in two counties in February. Human Rights Watch also met with aid organizations and the South Sudan Human Rights Commission. The challenges faced by people with disabilities are reported.

Autism spectrum disorders

WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
April 2017

Expand view

This fact sheet provides key facts and an overview about autism spectrum disorders. Associated epidemiology, causes, assessment and management, social and economic impacts are briefly covered. The human rights of people with ASD are discussed and the WHO Resolution on autism spectrum disorders (WHA67.8) is introduced.

Human rights: a reality for all : Council of Europe Disability Strategy 2017-2023 (2017)

COUNCIL OF EUROPE
March 2017

Expand view

The overall goal of the Council of Europe Disability Strategy 2017-2023 is to achieve equality, dignity and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in specific areas where the Council of Europe can make an input. This requires ensuring independence, freedom of choice, full and active participation in all areas of life and society. This will be achieved through work and activities around five priority areas:

1. Equality and non-discrimination

2. Awareness raising

3. Accessibility

4. Equal recognition before the law

5. Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse

Action will also target five cross-cutting themes: participation, co-operation and co-ordination, universal design and reasonable accommodation, gender equality perspective, multiple discrimination and education and training.

Human rights: a reality for all - Council of Europe Disability Strategy 2017-2023 (2017)

THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE
March 2017

Expand view

The overall goal of the Council of Europe Disability Strategy (2017-2023) is to achieve equality, dignity and equal opportunities for persons with disabilities in specific areas where the Council of Europe can make an input. In order to ensure independence, freedom of choice, full and active participation in all areas of life and society, the strategy highlights work and activities required in five priority areas:

1. Equality and non-discrimination

2. Awareness raising

3. Accessibility

4. Equal recognition before the law

5. Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse

The strategy also proposes action targeting five cross-cutting themes: participation, co-operation and co-ordination, universal design and reasonable accommodation, gender equality perspective, multiple discrimination and education and training. 

Greece: Refugees with Disabilities Overlooked, Underserved

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH
January 2017

Expand view

Refugees, asylum seekers, and other migrants with disabilities are not properly identified and do not enjoy equal access to services in reception centres in Greece.  On the basis of research carried out in mainland Greece and on the Greek islands in October 2016 and January 2017, and follow-up phone interviews in December 2016 and January 2017, Human Rights Watch found that asylum seekers and refugees with disabilities are not properly identified in Greece, in part because of a rushed registration process and the need for better guidance for staff. Without an adequate understanding of the scale and needs, aid agencies cannot respond effectively. Problems with equal access to water and sanitation services, food distribution, shelter, and health care including mental health and psychosocial support are reported.

Mental health and human rights : Report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
January 2017

Expand view

"The present report, mandated by the Human Rights Council in resolution 32/18, identifies some of the major challenges faced by users of mental health services, persons with mental health conditions and persons with psychosocial disabilities. These include stigma and discrimination, violations of economic, social and other rights and the denial of autonomy and legal capacity.

In the report, the High Commissioner recommends a number of policy shifts, which would support the full realisation of the human rights of those populations, such as the systematic inclusion of human rights in policy and the recognition of the individual’s autonomy, agency and dignity. Such changes cover measures to improve the quality of mental health service delivery, to put an end to involuntary treatment and institutionalisation and to create a legal and policy environment that is conducive to the realisation of the human rights of persons with mental health conditions and psychosocial disabilities"

A/HRC/34/32

Human Rights Council, Thirty-fourth session, 27 February-24 March 2017

Pages

E-bulletin