UN releases its first-ever guidelines on access to social justice for people with disabilities

Newzhook

1st September 2020

UN releases its first-ever guidelines on access to social justice for people with disabilities

The United Nations has released its first-ever guidelines on access to social justice for people with disabilities. What this aims to do is make it easier for disabled people around the world to access justice systems.

‘Ground-breaking guidance’. Those are the words used by the United Nations (UN) to describe the 10 principles or guidelines, its first-ever, that aim to enable people with disabilities around the world to access social justice. What this means is that disabled people can use justice systems around the world as easily as anyone else, in line with international standards.

The Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Disability and Accessibility are the three UN bodies that deal with disability rights. All three have teamed up to issue these guidelines to help countries implement existing obligations to ensure effective access to justice for people with disabilities.

The guidelines respond to the challenges that people with disabilities face in accessing justice on an equal basis with others. Many barriers prevent that access. Just to name a few, court houses or police stations are often not accessible, or court officials and police officers may not think that those with disabilities can take part in legal proceedings or have the capacity to instruct a lawyer. We want to help countries dismantle obstacles and parallel systems that prevent access to the existing guarantees and rights by all people. – Catalina Devandas, UN special rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities

https://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/09/01/covid-19-is-magnifying-the-digital-divide/