HRC 55: Joint statement to the Interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities

Thank you, President.

Action Canada makes this statement on behalf of 6 organizations[1] and associated disability rights activists from India and the UK.[2]

We welcome the Special Rapporteur’s report and analysis of mainstreaming disability rights in important and emerging areas including climate crisis and digitalization. We also appreciate the mandate’s work on voice, choice, independent living, and reiterate the importance of fully embracing legal capacity and shifting away from protectionism and guardianship.

While we appreciate the focus on gendered aspects of care economies, we reiterate that the rights of persons with disabilities need to be re-centered in this area, in line with the UN CRPD article 23, as persons with disabilities, in all diversity, are parents, caregivers, and rights-holders.

We call for urgent measures to realize sexual and reproductive health and rights and prevent violations both within families and healthcare settings. This includes accessible and affirming sexual and reproductive health services for all persons with disabilities. 

We encourage the Special Rapporteur and States to focus on disability-based and gender-based violence in public and private spaces, online and offline, within and outside families, and in the context of climate change, digitalization, and family care. In this context, state-driven care and support in independent living is key, as its denial is directly linked to exposure to discrimination and violence.