Inclusion London at the UN CRPD examination of the UK Government in Geneva
The UN Disability Committee were clear and robust in their condemnation of the impact of austerity on Deaf and Disabled people and the Government’s abject failure to implement the Convention and engage with DDPOs.
Inclusion London’s CEO Tracey Lazard and Campaigns and Policy Manager Ellen Clifford have just returned from Geneva where, as part of the Reclaiming Our Futures Alliance, they have been giving evidence to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (#CRPD17).
Tracey Lazard said:
“Deaf and Disabled People’s Organisations and the thousands of Deaf and Disabled people our organisations work with can feel very proud at the contribution we made to the first examination by the UN Disability Committee of the UK Government’s implementation of the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) that took place in Geneva last week.
“Unlike the UK Government who continue to deny our lived experience of increasing poverty and exclusion, massive cuts in support, punitive assessments regimes and the retrogression of our rights across every area of our lives, the UN Disability Committee were clear and robust in their condemnation of the impact of austerity on Deaf and Disabled people and the Government’s abject failure to implement the Convention and engage with DDPOs.
“Chairperson Theresia Degener in her closing questions stated, “Evidence before us now and in our Inquiry procedure as published in our 2016 report reveals that social cut policies has led to human catastrophe in your country, totally neglecting the vulnerable situation people with disabilities find themselves in.”
“The Committee also condemned the UK’s attempts to misrepresent the impact of policies through unanswered questions, misused statistics and a smoke screen of statements on policies and legislation which fail to implement the rights of Deaf and Disabled people in reality.
“We can feel very proud about the unity of voice and the quality of the evidence we presented to the Committee which was invaluable in helping the Committee reach its damming indictment of this Governments track record and its distain for Deaf & Disabled people and our Human Rights.
“We look forward to the Committee’s concluding observations and we leave Geneva stronger, more united and more determined than ever to do all we can to protect and uphold our rights and all that our movement has achieved over the last 40 years.”
Ellen Clifford, who was representing both Inclusion London and Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC), said:
“We are all exhausted but delighted with how the week has gone. We felt that the CRPD committee listened to the evidence presented by the unprecedented number of DDPO representatives who attended the sessions and were able to see through the obfuscation and misrepresentations of information that the UK Government presented. While it is a shame that the Government continues to deny the existence of serious rights’ regressions and the brutal impact of their policies, it was inspiring to be part of the collective effort by Deaf and Disabled people across the UK to ensure our voices are heard.”
More about the UNCRPD
Read the Press Release about the UN’s condemnation of the UK’s record on human rights.
Read news about the committee’s public examination of the UK’s progress in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, (UNCRPD) here:
UK faces UN examination: Government cuts caused ‘human catastrophe’ – Disability News Service
Disabled people and their concerns can no longer be ignored – Morning Star
UK faces UN examination: Government agrees to think again on engagement – Disability News Service
UK faces UN examination: Call for action over mental health detentions – Disability News Service
UK faces UN examination: Government criticised over independent living – Disability News Service