Summary:

Conclusions and recommendations adopted by the committee on the Rights of the Child and overview of its other activities including the follow-up to the day of general discussion on the rights of children with disabilities (Chapter III, D paragraph 244-247) pp.61-62. held on 6 October 1997.

www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CRC.C.80.En?Opendocument

Extract of the report on the nineteen session of the Committee of the Rights of the child

CRC/C/80 9 October 1998

COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD Report on the nineteenth session (Geneva, 21 September­9 October 1998)

III. OVERVIEW OF THE OTHER ACTIVITIES OF THE COMMITTEE 185 ­ 248 43

D. Follow­up to the day of general discussion on children with disabilities ..... 244 ­ 247 61

244. During the day of general discussion on the rights of children with disabilities, held on 6 October 1997, it was decided to establish a working group to promote implementation of the recommendations arising from the day (see CRC/C/69, paras. 310­ 339). On 6 October 1998, Mrs. Gerison Lansdown, Director of the Children's Rights Office (UK) and Rapporteur of the discussion day, informed the Committee of recent developments concerning the establishment of the working group. Discussions between the organizations involved in helping prepare the thematic day had resulted in the identification of the need for a coordinator to service the working group. Disabled People International had agreed that the coordinator could be based in its office in London. A funding application had been drafted setting out the aims of the project, which were to: (a) Form a working group of key disability and children's rights organizations together with international experts in the field; (b) Prepare a plan of action in respect of the recommendations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child; (c) Develop a strategy for its implementation and implement the plan. 245. These aims would be pursued through the following activities: Working closely with the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Social Development of the United Nations on disabilities and the panel of experts on the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and supporting their implementation with regard to children with disabilities, and building up dialogue with disabled children's groups so that their voices can be heard; Ensuring that the working group meets and has discussions with local groups of children whenever they meet, in order that its work is informed by the perspectives of children; Raising awareness of the situation of children with disabilities through provision of statistical and personal evidence on violations of human rights against them and actively challenging attitudes and practices such as infanticide, traditional practices prejudicial to health and development, superstition, the perception of disability as a tragedy and the segregation of children with disabilities in separate institutions for care, treatment and education - all of which practices discriminate against disabled children and deny them equal opportunities to the rights guaranteed by the Convention; Producing examples of good practice for projects, policies and legislation that upholds the principles and provisions of the Convention, such as legislation which ensures children with disabilities the equal right to life, survival and development, and which abolishes discriminatory laws on abortion and access to health care. 246. Grants have now been received and provide sufficient funding to proceed with the working group. It is planned that the first meeting of the working group will take place in December 1998. 247. Mr. Bengt Lindquist, Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Social Development of the United Nations on disabilities has agreed to chair the working group, which will be composed of representatives of the Committee on the Rights of the Child, International Save the Children Alliance, Disabled People International, Inclusion International, the World Blind Union and the World Federation of the Deaf. There will also be a wider reference group comprising other interested organizations and relevant United Nations bodies and agencies.

Previous CRC - Basic Reference Document items

• 05/10/1998: Documents submitted for the Day of General Discussion (5 October 1998) on HIV/AIDS
• 21/09/1998: Recommendation adopted by the Committee of the Rights of the Child on children in Armed Conflict (1998)
• 20/08/1998: Report of the Secretary general on status of the convention on the Rights of the Child
• 27/07/1998: Report on the eighteenth session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child
• 26/11/1997: Report on the sixteenth session of the Committee on the Rights of the Child

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Last updated 12/04/2001 11:14:00

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