Flanders criticized for failing disability rights commitments

Brussels (Brussels Morning) – Fifteen years after signing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, GRIP finds Flanders violating human rights due to inadequate investments in education, labour inclusion, and benefits.

What are the gaps in Flanders’ disability inclusion efforts?

20,000 minors and adults on the waiting list of the Flemish Agency for Persons with Disabilities (VAPH), too little investment in inclusive education, too few people with disabilities on the regular labour market and benefits that are lower than the poverty risk threshold. 

Fifteen years after Flanders and Belgium signed the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Equal Rights for Every Person with Disabilities (GRIP) has established that Flanders does not sufficiently respect the rights of persons with disabilities. “On a few very important points, we need to speak of violations of human rights,” says board member Nadia Hadad. Flanders is opting for a watered-down version of full inclusion, “inclusion light,” says the non-profit organization.

Is Flanders meeting UN disability rights standards?

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted by the UN on 13 December 2006. In Belgium, it has been in force since 1 August 2009. The UN Convention states that all persons with disabilities must be able to enjoy all human rights. If a person with a disability is unable to do so due to certain obstacles, that person is entitled to reasonable adjustments to remove those obstacles. The UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities monitors whether the treaty is complied with by the countries that are party to the treaty. 

What is GRIP’s critique of Flanders’ disability policies?

Although GRIP acknowledges the steps that have been taken, the non-profit organisation notes that there is still a gap between the desirable and the actual situation. According to GRIP, the principles of the UN Convention are being watered down and the authority of the UN Committee is not sufficiently recognised. Policymakers do not sufficiently take into account the explanatory notes that the UN Committee publishes on the UN Convention, which, according to GRIP, should be seen as an authoritative interpretation of the rights laid down in the Convention. There is still a lack of a global plan that steers policy in a coordinated manner to implement the Convention, it says. 

GRIP wants to take up its role as a human rights organisation and will distribute a second shadow report on the rights of persons with disabilities on Tuesday. This is a commentary on the second and third reports of Belgium for the UN Committee. In August, GRIP will travel to Geneva, Switzerland, to discuss several points with the UN Committee.