Rights of Young People with Disabilities
The rights of young people with disabilities are protected under many international documents called treaties.
These treaties include the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), among others.
The government may have ratified one or more of these treaties. You can find out by reading the The Core International Human Rights Instruments and their monitoring bodies.
If the government has ratified a treaty, it means the government has a duty to make sure the people in your country have those rights.
There are also regional treaties that the government may have ratified. An example is the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, among other regional treaties. To check whether your government has ratified any international or regional treaties, you can check the country’s Ministry of Social Protection/Social Affairs or the National Council for persons with disabilities.
Within the country, there are a number of national and local legislations. Some of these might talk about what the rights of a person with a disability are, either in a dedicated piece of legislation (for example, it may be called the Disability Act; however, the name may vary) or special provisions for persons with disabilities may be included in other legislations (for example, in laws and policies for older people, women, education, employment, etc.) Check the government’s websites for more information or approach a local organization or a network of persons with disabilities in your country.
Say the government has ratified the CRPD, CEDAW, CRC. Under these treaties, a young person with disabilities has the right:
- To be treated equally without discrimination based on your disability
- To access the police and the court system to seek justice
- To live independently and to be included in your community – including access to support services to help you live independently with the support you require
- To be able to vote, express your opinion, and be included in political processes
- To reasonable accommodation, meaning services such as shelters
Click on these resources from the United Nations Population Fund to learn about what you need to know about your rights!