Disabled people in Scotland cannot wait any longer for progress on human rights
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There has been a lack of progress on human rights protections for disabled people in Scotland and the UK, a UN committee has been told.
The Scottish Human Rights Commission told the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in Geneva that disabled people require action from the Scottish government now to ensure their rights are fully protected.
It highlighted a lack of progress for disabled people in these specific areas:
- Social care in Scotland is facing long-standing difficult and cumulative challenges including inadequate resourcing, high vacancy rates and geographical variations in care costs.
- The Scottish Independent Living Coalition (SILC) expresses disappointment in the lack of progress on the National Care Service proposals and the commission is concerned that commitments to human rights are not fully embedded in the draft proposals.
- International human rights should provide a framework to ensure that independent living, and choice and control over the support individuals need, are fully realised in planning and service delivery.
- The UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights has stated that “the absence of a legal remedy or a more robust reference to international standards in the Social Security (Scotland) Act is significant and should be addressed”.
- We are concerned about the lack of meaningful engagement and participation of disabled people in policy choices that affect them.
Jan Savage, executive director, said: “The Scottish Human Rights Commission is highlighting real concerns to the UN that the situation for disabled people overall in Scotland has not got better and there is an urgent need to address the barriers that disabled people face and the cumulative impact of these.
“The Scottish government has not done enough to ensure disabled people’s human rights are fully realised and we are pushing for protection of disabled people’s rights to employment, independent living and an adequate standard of living.
“The Scottish government’s commitment to embed the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as part of a new Human Rights Bill is something both the commission and the Scottish Independent Living Coalition members welcome. However, any laws must be robust and effective to ensure they drive change and disabled people can challenge when things go wrong.
“We urge the Scottish government to act on the recommendations in the reports, and prioritise the outcomes of the UN Committee’s scrutiny.”
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