Disability Rights

Worldwide one billion individuals have a disability. Many people with disabilities live in conflict settings or in developing countries, where they experience a range of barriers to education, health care and other basic services. In many countries, they are subjected to violence and discrimination. People with disabilities are also often deprived of their right to live independently, as many are locked up in institutions, shackled, or cycled through the criminal justice system. Many of these human rights abuses are a result of entrenched stigma and a lack of community-based services essential to ensuring their rights, including under the UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Our goal is to help change that, working closely together with disabled persons’ organizations and other partners. Download the complete brochure.

© 2010 Martina Bacigalupo for Human Rights Watch

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  • Trapped

    Trapped

    Lesbos, a postcard-perfect vacation island in the northern Aegean Sea, is a haven for people fleeing war in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. It symbolizes the hope that somewhere in Europe there is refuge. It is also a graveyard for the countless corpses that have washed ashore on its beautiful coastline. And it’s hell for the thousands who are trapped there, victims of the European Union’s determination to stem the tide of asylum seekers and other migrants by sending a message that they are unwelcome. For all of its natural beauty, there is much fear on Lesbos. Fear caused by the traumas of war, violence and displacement and of harsh camp conditions, insecurity and uncertain futures. Fear of rejection, detention, and deportation. Fear of going to the toilet in the dark at night, or not eating after two hours in a food line. Fear of lice and scabies. Fear of winter, cold and damp.

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End Shackling in Ghana

End Shackling in Ghana

In Ghana people with mental health conditions are often considered as being possessed by evil spirits or demons. Due to these beliefs and the lack of local mental health services, some families and communities resort to shackling the person in their homes or in prayer camps. In some camps, people are chained to trees, where they would bathe, defecate, urinate, eat, and sleep, some for years. The government has made important steps to address these abuses, but much more needs to be done. It’s now been 5 years since the Mental Health Act was passed. It’s high time they invested in community-based mental health services.

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