Earlier this month the United Nations published the summary report of their investigation (instigated by DPAC) into the UK governments maltreatment of disabled people.
That report contained 11 recommendations that the UN said the UK government needed to implement (shown below).
Unfortunately the UN has no power to make the UK government implement these recommendations. And of course our government knows that so they dismissed the report findings and refused to implement the recommendations
So it’s up to us to see that they do.
For starters please sign and share this petition “Force the government to act on the eleven recommendations of the UNCRPD report“. We need to get this up to 100,000 signatures to trigger a debate in Parliament, so we really need you to put time and effort into this, sharing as much as possible and as often as possible, not just for a day or two but for weeks and months – however long it takes to reach the target.
This is certainly not the only action we’ll be doing to get these recommendations implemented, its just a start. Keep an eye on this blog for more announcements to come
The 11 Recommendations
(a) Conduct a cumulative impact assessment of the measures adopted since 2010, referred to in the present report, on the rights to independent living and to be included in the community, social protection and employment of persons with disabilities. The State party should ensure that such assessment is rights-based and meaningfully involves persons with disabilities and their representative organizations;
(b) Ensure that any intended measure of the welfare reform is rights-based, upholds the human rights model of disability and does not disproportionately and/or adversely affect the rights of persons with disabilities to independent living, an adequate standard of living and employment. To prevent adverse consequences, the States party should carry out human rights-based cumulative impact assessments of the whole range of intended measures that would have an impact on the rights of persons with disabilities;
(c) Ensure that: any intended legislation and/or policy measure respects the core elements of the rights analysed in the present report; persons with disabilities retain their autonomy, choice and control over their place of residence and with whom they live; they receive appropriate and individualized support, including through personal assistance, and have access to community-based services on an equal basis with others; they have access to security social schemes that ensure income protection, including in relation to the extra cost of disability, that is compatible with an adequate standard of living and ensure their full inclusion and participation in society; and they have access and are supported in gaining employment in the open labour market on an equal basis with others;
(d) Ensure that public budgets take into account the rights of persons with disabilities, that sufficient budget allocations are made available to cover extra costs associated with living with a disability and that appropriate mitigation measures, with appropriate budget allocations, are in place for persons with disabilities affected by austerity measures;
(e) Introduce all adjustments necessary to make all information, communications, administrative and legal procedures in relation to social security entitlements, independent living schemes and employment/unemployment-related support services fully accessible to all persons with disabilities;
(f) Ensure access to justice, by providing appropriate legal advice and support, including through reasonable and procedural accommodation for persons with disabilities seeking redress and reparation for the alleged violation of their rights, as covered in the present report;
(g) Actively consult and engage with persons with disabilities through their representative organizations and give due consideration to their views in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of any legislation, policy or programme action related to the rights addressed in the present report;
(h) Take appropriate measures to combat any negative and discriminatory stereotypes or prejudice against persons with disabilities in public and the media, including that dependency on benefits is in itself a disincentive of employment; implement broad mass media campaigns, in consultation with organizations representing persons with disabilities, particularly those affected by the welfare reform, to promote them as full rights holders, in accordance with the Convention; and adopt measures to address complaints of harassment and hate crime by persons with disabilities, promptly investigate those allegations, hold the perpetrators accountable and provide fair and appropriate compensation to victims;
(i) Ensure that, in the implementation of legislation, policies and programmes, special attention is paid to persons with disabilities living with a low income or in poverty and persons with disabilities at higher risk of exclusion, such as persons with intellectual, psychosocial or multiple disabilities and women, children and older persons with disabilities. Those measures should be put in place within contributive and non-contributive regimes;
(j) Set up a mechanism and a system of human rights-based indicators to permanently monitor the impact of the different policies and programmes relating to the access and enjoyment by persons with disabilities of the right to social protection and an adequate standard of living, the right to live independently and be included in the community and the right to work, in close consultation with persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in all regions and countries that constitute the State party;
(k) Respond to the present report within the time limit prescribed under the Optional Protocol, widely disseminate the Committee’s findings and recommendations and provide appropriate follow-up to the recommendations of the present report, including during the consideration of the State party’s initial report before the Committee.
Spread it world wide what these savages are doing to the most vulnerable in the land. Let it be known that we are ruled by the most evil people since hitler, mussolini, stalin and pol pot. Bastard scum all of them.
Unfortunately this so called government have systematically attacked the disabled and the most vulnerable in our society. They have knowingly decreased the finance available to welfare whilst increasing the tax benefits of the rich. This Conservative Regime and the Coalition before it are responsible for the deaths of thousands of welfare claimants and have tried repeatedly to hide the true facts.
This evil set of politicians will try anything to avoid these UN revaluations and recommendations so we must continue to pressurise them until they have to relent.
the Teflon tories, don’t give SHIT about anyone outside their own party, they care even less about what any outsider, ie including UN, EU,JUST DONT MATTER.
In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist
They came for the Catholics, and I didn’t speak up because I was a Protestant.
Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up.
Martin Niemoeller(1892-1984)
(I speak alone in my own home, I am a disabled woman!)
The Work and Pensions Committee would be greatly more effective if it had statutory powers and the right to investigate individual cases. But, at the very least, it could persuade the DWP to implement some of these UN recommendations.
The Work and Pensions committee hasn’t had a great record in persuading the DWP – they made recommendations of their own in the Sanctions inquiry they held – all of which were ignored by the DWP
That isn’t quite true.
Government to test new sanctions warning system
Prompted by the Work and Pension Committee’s recommendation of the introduction of yellow cards, the Government will trial a sanctions warning system which will give claimants a 14-day window to provide evidence of why a sanction should not be imposed.
So what was the result of the test?
Please think again about the 11 recommendations. The Tories will definitely lose to labour at the next election if they repeatedly keep treating disabled people so badly. This applies to the bad treatment of the low paid, pensioners, jobless and homeless.