It is estimated that 1 in 5 women is a woman with disabilities. All over the world women and girls with disabilities continue to face multiple and intersectional discrimination in all areas of life, from segregation and institutionalisation, to violence, socio-economic disadvantages, and inadequate healthcare.
Several international human rights treaties exist to protect their rights, such as the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the UN Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). These Conventions are complemented by agreements called Optional Protocols. They establish individual complaints mechanism for individuals or groups of individuals who have seen their rights violated in their country.
This online workshop organised on the 10th of May jointly by the International Disability Alliance and the European Disability Forum informed participants on the role and functioning of the Optional Protocols, as tools to defend the rights of women and girls with disabilities. Speakers included representatives and legal experts from the Officer of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the International Disability Alliance, the International Women’s Right Actions Watch Asia Pacific and Validity Foundation. The workshop was introduced and moderated by Ana Pelaez Narvaez, Vice President of the European Disability Forum and member of the CEDAW Committee.
Watch the complete webinar:
Additional documents:
- Understanding and using the UN Optional Protocols – how to submit individual communication and information for inquiry (by OHCHR)
- Learning from experience: Examples from the Optional Protocol of the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (by the International Women’s Right Actions Watch Asia Pacific)
- Learning from experience: examples from the Optional Protocol of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (by the International Disability Alliance)