International webinar, organised by Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) and the European Network on Independent Living (ENIL)
25th August 2020, 15:00 – 17:00 CEST (14:00 – 16:00 GMT)
with English captioning and International Sign
Moderated by Mandy Colleran, DPAC and Jamie Bolling, ENIL
Watch and comment online:
Twitter: @dis_ppl_protest FB: https://www.facebook.com/disabledpeopleagainstcuts/videos/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/DisabledpeopleagainstCutsDPAC/videos
In 2013, Disabled People Against the Cuts (DPAC) triggered a UN inquiry into the United Kingdom under Article 6 of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). The inquiry, carried out by the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, focused on the implementation of Article 19 (living independently and being included in the community), Article 27 (work and employment) and Article 28 (adequate standard of living). The report, published in 2017, found that the UK government was guilty of “grave or systematic violations of the rights of persons with disabilities”.
In Hungary, the request to launch an inquiry was submitted in 2017 by the Validity Foundation, and joined in 2018 by the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL and the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union – TASZ. The inquiry focused on the implementation of Article 12 (equal recognition before the law) and Article 19. The report, published earlier this year, also found evidence of “grave or systematic” violations of these articles. The report also looked into the role of the European Union in committing these violations, through funding the building of new institutions in the country.
The aim of the webinar is to discuss how both reports – on the UK and Hungary – can be used to challenge violations of disabled people’s rights and get Governments to uphold the rights sets out in the CRPD, with a focus on Article 19. Activists and allies from the UK will share how they’ve used the results of the 2017 inquiry to promote CRPD implementation in their country, while those from Hungary will speak about the reactions to the 2020 report and their plans for follow-up. Staff of the CRPD Committee Secretariat will explain how inquiries under the Optional Protocol are carried out and how the Committee monitors their implementation.
Speakers: Jamie Bolling (ENIL), Ellen Clifford (DPAC), Heather Fisken, (Inclusion Scotland), Rhain Davies (Disability Wales), Melinda Farago and Gabor Petri (MEOSZ), Ágota Vida (People First Association), Péter Stánicz (Office of the Commissioner for Fundamental Rights), Catherinne Pedreros, Jorge Araya and Harumi Fuentes (Secretariat of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities at UN OHCHR)
