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While Andrew is away this week, different members of the Daily Brief team will take over and keep you informed about the latest human rights news. Today's edition is authored by Jan Kooy.
In bleak times like these, it is key to keep an eye on good human rights stories. One of them is the positive change we’ve seen in the past decade on the rights of people with disabilities, highlighted in a new, interactive feature that Human Rights Watch just published.
Globally, more than one billion people live with a disability - that’s one in six people. In 2013, HRW became the world’s first international human rights organization to create a dedicated team to investigate and expose the often hidden abuses experienced by people with disabilities, and advocate for their rights.
We’ve expanded this work to include the rights of older people, given that millions of older people around the world experience ageism and abuses every day.
Recognizing that they are leading agents of change, we partner with people with disabilities, older people and their respective organizations across the globe, in line with the motto, “Nothing About Us, Without Us”.
Another key message: Demand what you believe in - a lesson from the late disability rights pioneer and trailblazer Judy Heumann, who played an instrumental role in the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 and in HRW's disability rights research in the past decade.
Judy famously said, “When other people see you as a third-class citizen, the first thing you need is a belief in yourself and the knowledge that you have rights. The next thing you need is a group of friends to fight back with.”
"As a mainstream human rights organization with a dedicated team working on disability rights, we are proud to be part of that group committed to amplifying the voices of people with disabilities," wrote Shantha Rau Barriga in a comment.
"Over the past decade, we have grown from one researcher to a team of 13 across four continents. Together with our partners, we’ve contributed to real shifts in ending the practice of shackling people with psychosocial disabilities and more inclusive humanitarian response. There is much to celebrate and much more to do, as we demand what we believe in: a world where people with disabilities and older people enjoy equal rights and dignity."