Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities, UNICEF

(p) Concerned about the difficult conditions faced bypersons with disabilities who are subject to multipleor aggravated forms of discrimination on the basis ofrace, colour, sex, language, religion, political or otheropinion, national, ethnic, indigenous or social origin,property, birth, age or other status,(q) Recognizing that women and girls with disabilitiesare often at greater risk, both within and outsidethe home of violence, injury or abuse, neglect ornegligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation,(r) Recognizing that children with disabilitiesshould have full enjoyment of all human rightsand fundamental freedoms on an equal basis withother children, and recalling obligations to that endundertaken by States parties to the Convention onthe Rights of the Child,(s) Emphasizing the need to incorporate a genderperspective in all efforts to promote the fullenjoyment of human rights and fundamentalfreedoms by persons with disabilities,(t) Highlighting the fact that the majority of personswith disabilities live in conditions of poverty, and inthis regard recognizing the critical need to addressthe negative impact of poverty on persons withdisabilities,(u) Bearing in mind that conditions of peace andsecurity based on full respect for the purposes andprinciples contained in the Charter of the UnitedNations and observance of applicable human rightsinstruments are indispensable for the full protectionof persons with disabilities, in particular during armedconflicts and foreign occupation,(v) Recognizing the importance of accessibility to thephysical, social, economic and cultural environment,to health and education and to information andcommunication, in enabling persons with disabilitiesto fully enjoy all human rights and fundamentalfreedoms,(w) Realizing that the individual, having duties toother individuals and to the community to which heor she belongs, is under a responsibility to strivefor the promotion and observance of the rightsrecognized in the International Bill of Human Rights,(x) Convinced that the family is the natural andfundamental group unit of society and is entitled toprotection by society and the State, and that personswith disabilities and their family members shouldreceive the necessary protection and assistanceto enable families to contribute towards the fulland equal enjoyment of the rights of persons withdisabilities,(y) Convinced that a comprehensive and integralinternational convention to promote and protectthe rights and dignity of persons with disabilitieswill make a significant contribution to redressingthe profound social disadvantage of persons withdisabilities and promote their participation in thecivil, political, economic, social and cultural sphereswith equal opportunities, in both developing anddeveloped countries,Have agreed as follows:Article 1PurposeThe purpose of the present Convention is topromote, protect and ensure the full and equalenjoyment of all human rights and fundamentalfreedoms by all persons with disabilities, and topromote respect for their inherent dignity.Persons with disabilities include those who havelong-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensoryimpairments which in interaction with various barriersmay hinder their full and effective participation insociety on an equal basis with others.Article 2DefinitionsFor the purposes of the present Convention:“Communication” includes languages, display of text,Braille, tactile communication, large print, accessiblemultimedia as well as written, audio, plain-language,human-reader and augmentative and alternativemodes, means and formats of communication,including accessible information and communicationtechnology;“Language” includes spoken and signed languagesand other forms of non spoken languages;“Discrimination on the basis of disability’” means anydistinction, exclusion or restriction on the basis ofdisability which has the purpose or effect of impairingor nullifying the recognition, enjoyment or exercise,on an equal basis with others, of all human rightsand fundamental freedoms in the political, economic,social, cultural, civil or any other field. It includes allforms of discrimination, including denial of reasonableaccommodation;“Reasonable accommodation” means necessaryand appropriate modification and adjustments notimposing a disproportionate or undue burden, whereneeded in a particular case, to ensure to persons withdisabilities the enjoyment or exercise on an equalbasis with others of all human rights and fundamentalfreedoms;Innocenti Digest No. 13Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities52