Promoting the rights of Children with disabilities innocenti digest no

global review of the rights of children with 
disabilities by the un Committee on the rights 
of the Child
The most wide-ranging and authoritative evidence of 
worldwide discrimination comes from a recent global 
overview of the situation of children with disabilities 
conducted by the UN Committee on the Rights 
of the Child, in its General Comment 9 based on 
analysis of the reports submitted over a long period 
by many States parties.
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In this General Comment the Committee reported 
that some recommendations had to be made 
specifically concerning children with disabilities for 
the “overwhelming majority” of countries reviewed. 
The Committee emphasized that obstacles stemmed 
not from the disability itself but from “a combination 
of social, cultural, attitudinal and physical barriers 
that children with disabilities encounter in their daily 
lives.” These barriers are reflected in many reports 
from countries in all regions of the world and are by 
no means confined to the poorest countries. 
The report contains clear suggestions for action, 
included in the recommendations for action at 
national level in chapter 4 above, and discussed 
further in chapter 7
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Confronting discrimination
Discrimination can manifest itself in various ways: 
through cultural prejudices, socio-economic, 
legislative or administrative measures, as well as 
environments that are inaccessible to persons with 
disabilities. Cultural prejudices often reflect guilt, 
shame or even fear associated with the birth of 
a child with a disability. It is reported by Save the 
Children that where there is a cultural reverence for 
bloodlines, babies born with physical or intellectual 
impairments are often hidden away or abandoned 
because they are considered to be a sign of 
impurity.
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Cultural attitudes are also influenced by 
negative or stereotyped depictions of persons with 
disabilities in folklore, books, films or television 
programmes. However, the experience of many 
countries has demonstrated that the existence 
of deep-seated negative attitudes should not be 
regarded as an insuperable obstacle to progress. 
Preconceptions or lack of open discussion about 
disability sometimes results in children with 
disabilities being overlooked in the planning and 
provision of services. In other cases, the services 
put in place are inappropriate, poorly conceived or 
ill-funded. Even in situations where such barriers 
can be overcome, this means little if children with 
disabilities are unable to gain physical access to 
schools, hospitals, public buildings or recreational 
areas, or to use public transportation to do so.
Furthermore, the marginalization experienced by 
children with disabilities is all too often compound 
and cumulative. Children may be discriminated 
against or suffer social exclusion not only because 
they have an impairment, but also because of their 
gender, or because they belong to other groups 
that experience discrimination (see box 5.1) such 
as children living in poverty, children who have lost 
their parents, children living on the street, or children 
belonging to religious, ethnic or national minorities. 
In this latter regard, the situation of Roma children in 
Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth 
of Independent States (the CEE/CIS region) 
represents a particularly damaging cycle of disability, 
discrimination and disadvantage. Available evidence 
suggests very high rates of classified disability among 
the Roma minority. Such a diagnosis may in part 
represent higher rates of impairment as an outcome 
of entrenched disadvantage, unmet needs and lack of 
information. However, it is likely also to be based in 
stigma and bias, reflecting the way that aptitudes are 
measured according to dominant cultural standards. 
The perpetuation of disadvantage is further seen 
in the observed practice of placing Roma children 
in institutions or in special, segregated schools, 
regardless of their impairment status.
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