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Commission urges transparency from Government around rights for disabled people

Figures from a nationwide survey released today by the Irish Human Rights & Equality Commission (IHREC) to mark International Day of People with Disabilities (‘IDPWD’), show that just 21% of people believe that the government is doing enough to support disabled people and that the same low percentage of respondents believe that disabled people receive equal opportunities in terms of employment. The findings come from the IHREC Annual Poll, a wider human rights and equality survey to be published by the Commission on Human Rights Day. The theme of this year’s IDPWD is ‘United in Action to Rescue and Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for, with and by Persons with Disabilities.’ The goals include the commitment to strive to reduce inequality within and among countries by empowering and promoting the social, economic and political inclusion of all, including persons with disabilities (Goal 10). However, our data reveals that less than 1 in 3 people (30%) agree that disabled people are treated fairly in Irish society. It also demonstrated a high level of agreement from respondents that disabled people continue to face barriers in society, with only 28% of people agreeing that disabled people can access the services they need. Today IHREC, in our role as the Independent Monitoring Mechanism under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), has written to Minister Roderic O’Gorman to express our concern at the delay in giving full effect to the rights afforded to disabled people under this Convention. We are calling for transparency from the Government regarding Ireland’s progress, and its objectives, in the implementation of the CRPD. Ireland has now been without a successor to the National Disability Inclusion Strategy since 2022. It is vital that the Government prioritises the development and publication of an implementation strategy for the CRPD. We also strongly recommend that the Government takes action now to adequately fund Disabled Persons Organisations as a key pillar of any CRPD Implementation Strategy. This would properly provide for the leadership by disabled people in the evolution of a new strategy, in its effective implementation, and in its evaluation. Finally, we are again calling on the Government to ratify the Optional Protocol to the CRPD without further delay. The decision by the Irish State to delay ratification of the Optional Protocol denies people with disabilities a pathway to vindicate their rights under this Convention. Sinéad Gibney, Chief Commissioner said,
“Disabled people have fought hard for equality in Ireland, but continue to experience daily and arbitrary barriers to the realisation of their rights. We are urgently requesting that the State provides transparency in how Ireland will progress its implementation of the CRPD within the lifetime of this Government, and that urgent action is taken to give meaningful effect to the leadership of disabled people.”
ENDS/ For further information, please contact: Sarah Clarkin, IHREC Communications Manager, 01 852 9641 / 087 468 7760 sarah.clarkin@ihrec.ie Follow us on twitter @_IHREC

Notes for Editors:

The Survey The referenced recent survey is the Annual IHREC Poll 2023, on which a full cross-sectional account will be released on Human Rights Day, 10 Dec 2023. It is a cross-sectional nationwide survey administered to 1200 participants aged 18 or over, and includes a number of questions on disability and disabled people. International Day of Persons with Disabilities Since 1992, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPWD) is celebrated on the 3rd of December as a way of promoting equality for people with disabilities; by promoting an understanding of disability rights, and by increasing awareness of all the potential gains from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission is Ireland’s independent National Human Rights Institution and National Equality Body, and is the designated independent monitor of Ireland’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD.)