“When we secure the rights of people with disabilities, we move closer to achieving the central promise of the 2030 agende - to leave no one behind”. - António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
The International Day of People with disabilities was proclaimed as December 3rd by the United Nations General Assembly in 1992. The convention of the rights of persons with Disabilities was adopted in 2006, after many decades of work in the field of disability. These rights have been developed to ensure the well-being of people and promote the rights with disabilities all around the world. Most importantly, to increase awareness of the topic politically, socially, economically and culturally.
The 2019 theme of this day is “Promoting the participation of persons with disabilities and their leadership: taking action on the 2030 Development Agenda”.
This year the Internal Day of People with Disabilities focuses on empowerment for inclusivity of people with disabilities, equitability and sustainability. As anticipated in 2030, we pledge to “leave no one behind”. Therefore, this day is especially important.
Important facts:
*Around 15% of the world’s population, or an estimated 1 billion people, live with disabilities. They are the world’s largest minority. (WHO)
*In countries with life expectancies over 70 years, individuals spend on average about 8 years, or 11.5% of their life span, living with disabilities. (Disabled World)
*80% of persons with disabilities live in developing countries, according to the UN Development Programme. (WHO)
*Disability rates are significantly higher among groups with lower educational attainment in the countries of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), says the OECD Secretariat.
*On average, 19% of less educated people have disabilities, compared to 11% among the better educated.
*The World Bank estimates that 20% of the world’s poorest people have some kind of disability, and tend to be regarded in their own communities as the most disadvantaged. (World Bank)
*Women with disabilities are recognized to be multiply disadvantaged, experiencing exclusion on account of their gender and their disability. (Disabled World)
*Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to abuse. A small 2004 survey in Orissa, India, found that virtually all of the women and girls with disabilities were beaten at home, 25% of women with intellectual disabilities had been raped and 6% of women with disabilities had been forcibly sterilized.
*According to UNICEF, 30% of street youths have some kind of disability. (UNICEF)
*Mortality for children with disabilities may be as high as 80% in countries where under-five mortality as a whole has decreased below 20%, says the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development, adding that in some cases it seems as if children are being “weeded out”. (World Bank)
*Comparative studies on disability legislation shows that only 45 countries have anti-discrimination and other disability-specific laws.
*90% of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school, says UNESCO. (UNESCO)
*The global literacy rate for adults with disabilities is as low as 3%, and 1% for women with disabilities, according to a 1998 UNDP study. (UNDP)
*In the OECD countries, students with disabilities in higher education remain under-represented, although their numbers are on the increase, says the OECD. (OECD)
*For every child killed in warfare, three are injured and acquire a permanent form of disability. (Disabled World)
*In some countries, up to a quarter of disabilities result from injuries and violence, says WHO. (WHO)
*Persons with disabilities are more likely to be victims of violence or rape, according to a 2004 British study, and less likely to obtain police intervention, legal protection or preventive care. (Dodd, Tricia, et al., 2004)
*Research indicates that violence against children with disabilities occurs at annual rates at least 1.7 times greater than for their peers without disabilities. (Global Campaign for Eductation, 2011)
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