UN recommends robust social protection scheme for disabled people in Bangladesh

The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has called on Bangladesh to adopt and implement a national strategy to alleviate poverty among people with disabilities.

In its review released on Friday on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the committee recommended Bangladesh government to develop a robust social protection scheme that guarantees an adequate living standard, including support for disability-related expenses.

In Bangladesh, there have been concerns about extreme poverty and the absence of social protection measures in the disability community.

The report found that here people with disabilities, especially women and members of religious and indigenous groups, are deprived of their legal capacity to enter into contracts or inherit property. 

The committee requested that Bangladesh amend its legislation to introduce decision-making measures that duly respect the autonomy, will and preferences of people with disabilities.

Apart from Bangladesh, the latest session of CRPD reviewed the situation of people with disabilities in eight other countries including China, Indonesia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Lao People's Democratic Republic, New Zealand Singapore and Ukraine.

The report noted grave concerns about people with disabilities from Uyghur and other Muslim minorities being detained in vocational education and training centres in china and that their disability-related needs are not supported. 

The country has been urged to take prompt action to release Uyghur and other Muslim minorities with disabilities from vocational education and training centres and to ensure that all their disability-related needs are immediately met while in detention.

The committee was also disturbed by reports of reprisals against civil society organizations in Mainland China and Hong Kong for their advocacy work on disability rights, particularly in relation to their cooperation with the United Nations. It requested that China take all necessary measures to ensure that people with disabilities can exercise their right to freedom of expression and opinion, including in their collaboration with the UN.

Meanwhile in Indonesia, the prolonged use of harmful and forced practices against people with psychosocial disabilities, such as shackling, seclusion and restraints have raised deep concern. The country has been asked to prohibit such measures within families and social care institutions. The recommendation for Indonesia include adopting a deinstitutionalisation strategy, strengthening its support for the National Commission for Disability, developing a non-coercive, community-based mental health services and establishing an independent monitoring and complaints mechanism accessible to people with disabilities.

In Japan, people with disabilities, especially people with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, older people and children who require more intensive support, have been placed in institutions for long periods, thus being deprived of family and community life. It asked Japan to take expedited measures to end institutionalisation by reallocating its budgets to support people with disabilities live independently in the community. CRPD recommended that Japan cease segregated special education, and adopt a national action plan on quality inclusive education, with specific targets, time frames and sufficient budget to ensure that all students with disabilities are provided with individualised support at all levels of education.

The committee was deeply concerned about the lack of progress in abolishing the guardianship system on the information that some 16,000 people with disabilities are still under such a system in the Republic of Korea. It called on the State party to replace guardianships and wardships with supported decision-making systems and to provide individualised support while respecting the autonomy, will and preferences of people with disabilities.

In New Zealand, there has been a disproportionately high poverty level among persons with disabilities, especially Māori people, who are twice to three times as likely to live in poverty as the general population. The committee asked New Zealand to expedite its implementation of the Welfare Expert Advisory Group's recommendations to address the inequity and complexity within the social security system for people with disabilities.

In the public dialogue during the session, the committee was gravely concerned about the legality, imposition and execution of the death penalty on people with intellectual and psychosocial disabilities in Singapore. The committee was also concerned about the infringement on freedom of expression and opinion, peaceful assembly and freedom of association of people with disabilities, and reports of reprisals against civil society organizations for their advocacy work on disability rights.

The review report noted grave concerns about people with disabilities who were reportedly trapped in the conflict zones in Ukraine and that the evacuation of the institutions in conflict areas was not prioritised. The country, as well as the Russian Federation, has been asked to immediately evacuate people with disabilities who remain in residential institutions on the Ukrainian territory under their respective control and to ensure that the evacuation process is monitored by independent parties.

CRPD was disturbed by the high illiteracy rate and the high dropout number of students among people with disabilities in the Lao People's Democratic Republic.