From Amnesty International.
This AGM
Calls for urgent action to halt the abrogation of the Human Rights of sick & disabled
people by the ruling Coalition government and its associated corporate contractors.
18
Calls for AIUK to urgently work with grassroots human rights campaigns by and for
sick and disabled people, carers and their families.
And to set up a specialist Disability Human Rights network akin to the already
existing-
Children's Human Rights network
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender network
Teach Rights
Trade Union network
Women's Action network
To protect the human rights of People with disabilities , ill people and carers to halt
this regressive & lethal assault on our rights.
Proposers Background Note:
Since signing the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People in 2009,
successive British governments have not fulfilled their responsibilities. This has now
resulted in between 1,300 to 10,600 people dying after having had their health
benefits withdrawn over the last 3 years. Researchers and NGO’s have catalogued
multiple abuses and malpractice by government agencies and contracted private
corporations who administer unnecessary medical tests, which the British Medical
Association has unanimously voted for to be ceased immediately. Yet they continue
daily, causing immense terror in the disabled community.
Two thirds of people affected by cuts to housing and council allowances (420,000),
are sick and disabled people, putting specially adapted homes and consequently
health at risk. Legal aid has been withdrawn, making appeals to the court tribunal
service against government administered entitlement tests all but impossible.
Independent living and support will be withdrawn breaching the fundamental ethos
and many articles of the Convention.
This will mean further deaths amongst vulnerable groups already victimised with
rising levels of hate crime, government officials briefing media to create
stigmatisation in order to enable these policies, forced labour programmes that have
been ruled illegal and abusive and degrading practices administered by unqualified
medical personnel.
19
The most recent Human Rights Joint Committee (Twenty-Third Report) by the
Parliamentary Human Rights Committee found serious failings by the State to follow
the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People and concluded the cumulative
effect of polices were ‘regressive’, the UNCRPD had been ignored and had not been
incorporated into UK law with the government falsely describing it as ‘soft law’ that
did not need statutory standing.
BOARD BACKGROUND NOTE:
Amnesty International (AI) works against grave abuses of the right to freedom from
direct or indirect discrimination on the basis of race, sex/gender, sexual orientation,
gender identity, religion or belief, political or other opinion, ethnicity, national or social
origin, disability, or other status. Legal guarantees of non-discrimination and legal
guarantees of equality, though expressed differently, are articulations of the same
obligation. Both the right to non-discrimination and the right to equality require
measures that prohibit discrimination as well as positive steps to address long-
standing disadvantages, and to prevent discrimination by non-state actors.
Specifically, AI’s work on disability rights has had a global focus raising issues such
as the discrimination of Roma children and in particular their mis-diagnosis with
mental health problems which denies them access to education. In 2012 we joined
with UK civil society organisations to write to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime
Minister expressing our shared concerns for human rights in the UK, which could be
undermined by the political debate around proposals for a Commission on a UK Bill
of Rights (http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/humanrightsopenletter.htm). We sought
assurances that the protection of universal human rights, including disability rights,
which are safeguarded under the 1998 Human Rights Act, are safeguarded.
However, the work of AIUK in this area is limited as the UK Government has signed
and ratified both the UN Convention on Disabled People and the Optional Protocol
making it subject to oversight by the Equality and Human Rights Commission
(EHRC). The EHRC is Britain's National Human Rights Institution and has been
designated alongside the Scottish Human Rights Commission, the Northern Ireland
Human Rights Commission and the Northern Ireland Equality Commission to fulfil
this role in UK.
As the UK has ratified the Optional Protocol of the UN Convention individuals are
able to take a petition to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(UN Committee) if they believe that their Convention rights have been breached and
20
they have exhausted means of redress via the UK or European Courts. This step
also gives the relevant UN Committee authority to undertake inquiries, when reliable
information is received into allegations of grave or systematic violations of
Convention rights.
AI with all of the Treaty Bodies and if the UN Committee’s state examination of the
UK highlight human rights abuses due to a failure to implement the Convention we
would raise these concerns with the UK Government.
There is currently no special AIUK network on disability rights, nor any staff role with
a remit to cover them. However, in the proposed new structure, with added capacity
within the community organising team, this may be possible. We would need to
ensure this is taken forward, in line with the recommendations from the Networks
Review 2011-2012, that stated that any new networks should have a good case for
support, relevant research to support development from the International Secretariat
(IS) and clear aims and objectives to guide their work.
Resource Implications: There is currently no staff capacity to support the
development of new networks. In order to take this resolution forward, we would
need to reallocate staff time from another area of work.
This AGM
Calls for urgent action to halt the abrogation of the Human Rights of sick & disabled
people by the ruling Coalition government and its associated corporate contractors.
18
Calls for AIUK to urgently work with grassroots human rights campaigns by and for
sick and disabled people, carers and their families.
And to set up a specialist Disability Human Rights network akin to the already
existing-
Children's Human Rights network
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender network
Teach Rights
Trade Union network
Women's Action network
To protect the human rights of People with disabilities , ill people and carers to halt
this regressive & lethal assault on our rights.
Proposers Background Note:
Since signing the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People in 2009,
successive British governments have not fulfilled their responsibilities. This has now
resulted in between 1,300 to 10,600 people dying after having had their health
benefits withdrawn over the last 3 years. Researchers and NGO’s have catalogued
multiple abuses and malpractice by government agencies and contracted private
corporations who administer unnecessary medical tests, which the British Medical
Association has unanimously voted for to be ceased immediately. Yet they continue
daily, causing immense terror in the disabled community.
Two thirds of people affected by cuts to housing and council allowances (420,000),
are sick and disabled people, putting specially adapted homes and consequently
health at risk. Legal aid has been withdrawn, making appeals to the court tribunal
service against government administered entitlement tests all but impossible.
Independent living and support will be withdrawn breaching the fundamental ethos
and many articles of the Convention.
This will mean further deaths amongst vulnerable groups already victimised with
rising levels of hate crime, government officials briefing media to create
stigmatisation in order to enable these policies, forced labour programmes that have
been ruled illegal and abusive and degrading practices administered by unqualified
medical personnel.
19
The most recent Human Rights Joint Committee (Twenty-Third Report) by the
Parliamentary Human Rights Committee found serious failings by the State to follow
the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People and concluded the cumulative
effect of polices were ‘regressive’, the UNCRPD had been ignored and had not been
incorporated into UK law with the government falsely describing it as ‘soft law’ that
did not need statutory standing.
BOARD BACKGROUND NOTE:
Amnesty International (AI) works against grave abuses of the right to freedom from
direct or indirect discrimination on the basis of race, sex/gender, sexual orientation,
gender identity, religion or belief, political or other opinion, ethnicity, national or social
origin, disability, or other status. Legal guarantees of non-discrimination and legal
guarantees of equality, though expressed differently, are articulations of the same
obligation. Both the right to non-discrimination and the right to equality require
measures that prohibit discrimination as well as positive steps to address long-
standing disadvantages, and to prevent discrimination by non-state actors.
Specifically, AI’s work on disability rights has had a global focus raising issues such
as the discrimination of Roma children and in particular their mis-diagnosis with
mental health problems which denies them access to education. In 2012 we joined
with UK civil society organisations to write to the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime
Minister expressing our shared concerns for human rights in the UK, which could be
undermined by the political debate around proposals for a Commission on a UK Bill
of Rights (http://www.disabilityrightsuk.org/humanrightsopenletter.htm). We sought
assurances that the protection of universal human rights, including disability rights,
which are safeguarded under the 1998 Human Rights Act, are safeguarded.
However, the work of AIUK in this area is limited as the UK Government has signed
and ratified both the UN Convention on Disabled People and the Optional Protocol
making it subject to oversight by the Equality and Human Rights Commission
(EHRC). The EHRC is Britain's National Human Rights Institution and has been
designated alongside the Scottish Human Rights Commission, the Northern Ireland
Human Rights Commission and the Northern Ireland Equality Commission to fulfil
this role in UK.
As the UK has ratified the Optional Protocol of the UN Convention individuals are
able to take a petition to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
(UN Committee) if they believe that their Convention rights have been breached and
20
they have exhausted means of redress via the UK or European Courts. This step
also gives the relevant UN Committee authority to undertake inquiries, when reliable
information is received into allegations of grave or systematic violations of
Convention rights.
AI with all of the Treaty Bodies and if the UN Committee’s state examination of the
UK highlight human rights abuses due to a failure to implement the Convention we
would raise these concerns with the UK Government.
There is currently no special AIUK network on disability rights, nor any staff role with
a remit to cover them. However, in the proposed new structure, with added capacity
within the community organising team, this may be possible. We would need to
ensure this is taken forward, in line with the recommendations from the Networks
Review 2011-2012, that stated that any new networks should have a good case for
support, relevant research to support development from the International Secretariat
(IS) and clear aims and objectives to guide their work.
Resource Implications: There is currently no staff capacity to support the
development of new networks. In order to take this resolution forward, we would
need to reallocate staff time from another area of work.
Comments