• Using sign language, Monica, a deafblind woman, expresses her opinion on her right to political participation. She is a member of SENSE International Peru, an NGO working with deafblind people and their families.
    © 2011 Human Rights Watch
    Peru: Disability Rights in the Voting Booth

    Peru should remove significant barriers preventing people with disabilities from exercising their right to vote and other civil rights. The failure to dismantle the obstacles is undermining Peru’s leadership as one of the first countries to ratify, in 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

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  • Disability Rights

    Across the world, many of the world's one billion individuals with disabilities struggle for access to education and employment, for the right to live in the community instead of being locked up in institutions, to express their sexuality and have children, and to participate in political and social life. Individuals with physical and mental disabilities often face increased violence and discrimination, yet they remain invisible in their communities.

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Disability Rights

  • Peru: Disability Rights in the Voting Booth
    May 15, 2012

    Peru should remove significant barriers preventing people with disabilities from exercising their right to vote and other civil rights. The failure to dismantle the obstacles is undermining Peru’s leadership as one of the first countries to ratify, in 2008, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

  • Russia: Reform Domestic Laws on Disability Rights
    May 4, 2012
    Russia should move quickly to reform laws and practices that currently prevent the 13 million Russians with disabilities from enjoying equal rights, Human Rights Watch said today. President Dmitry Medvedev signed a federal law on May 3, 2012, formally ratifying the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities.
  • Updated Human Rights Watch Submission to the United Nations Committee against Torture on Greece
    Apr 25, 2012
    This memorandum, submitted to the United Nations Committee Against Torture (“the Committee”) ahead of its upcoming review of Greece, highlights areas of concern Human Rights Watch hopes will inform the Committee’s consideration of the Greek government’s (“the government”) compliance with the International Convention against Torture and Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment ("the Convention").
  • Peru: Submission to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
    Apr 12, 2012
    This memorandum, submitted to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ahead of its upcoming review of Peru highlights areas of concern that Human Rights Watch hopes will inform the Committee’s consideration of the Peruvian government’s compliance with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
  • Letter to Peruvian Congress on Involuntary Detention of Persons With Disabilities
    Apr 2, 2012
    Human Rights Watch expresses its concern about Law No. 29737 and related provisions in Peruvian law that permit involuntary detention for treatment of people with psychosocial or mental disabilities and those who suffer from addiction, in circumstances that do not comply with international human rights law.
  • Letter to UN Special Rapporteurs on Involuntary Sterilization of Women and Girls with Disabilities
    Mar 9, 2012
    An alarming number of women and girls with disabilities have been, and continue to be, denied their rights to experience their sexuality, to have sexual relationships and to found and maintain families through the practice of forced sterilization.
  • People with Disabilities: Law Reform Needed
    Jan 22, 2012
    Governments around the world should reform laws that limit the capacity of people with disabilities to vote, to make independent decisions, or to live in the community, Human Rights Watch said today in an essay in its World Report 2012.
  • Jamaica: Ensure Voting Access for People With Disabilities
    Dec 22, 2011
    Jamaican authorities should take prompt action to ensure that people with disabilities can vote in the elections on December 29, 2011, Human Rights Watch said today.
  • Submission to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
    Dec 20, 2011
    This submission is based on research and advocacy conducted by Human Rights Watch. Women and girls with disabilities face a heightened risk of physical and sexual violence. Many factors contribute to this risk, including limitations in physical mobility, isolation, and common myths about women and girls with disabilities.
  • Vote for an End to Discrimination
    Nov 11, 2011
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