UK is breaching human rights of disabled people, UN told

by Stephen Naysmith Social Affairs Correspondent - The Herald
A SCOTTISH campaigner will this morning tell the Human Rights Council of the UN that the UK Government is in breach of its human rights obligations to disabled people.
 
In Geneva today, Dr Pauline Nolan, Policy Officer for Inclusion Scotland, will submit evidence to a preliminary hearing ahead of a planned review of the human rights record of 14 states, including the UK.

On behalf of the Campaign for A Fair Society – a coalition of more than 70 Scottish charities – Dr Nolan will warn the cumulative impact of welfare reform and cuts to benefits affecting disabled people will mean their ability to live a full life is impaired.

In particular, she will argue that welfare changes undermine their right to be included in the community.

The campaign also claims disabled people are being denied access to justice when they try to appeal against these cuts to their benefits.

Dr Nolan said she aimed to equip the UN with a series of recommendations and questions to put to the UK Government when its representatives appear in front of the Human Rights Council in May.

She added: “Disability organisations, disabled people and the Parliament’s own Joint Committee on Human Rights concluded that these cuts will have a devastating cumulative impact on the livelihoods of disabled people.

“Further cuts are taking place to local authority services they receive. Taken together, all these cuts are severely undermining the human rights of disabled people.”

She claims half of the £18 billion of cuts to be made under welfare reform will fall on households containing disabled people, adding: “These cuts will push hundreds of thousands of disabled people and their families into poverty and thousands will be made homeless.”

Jim Elder-Woodward, of the Independent Living in Scotland project, said: “I am really pleased that Dr Nolan is going to Geneva to tell the UN just how this Coalition Government is systematically undermining the rights of disabled people by cutting their benefits and services.

“The combined voices of disabled people have either been silenced or misrepresented by the UK Government in their resolution to make disabled people suffer over 50% of the total £18bn in benefit cuts.”

Norma Curran, of Values Into Action Scotland, added: “These welfare reforms are devastating people’s lives. It’s not acceptable to challenge the human rights of people on the grounds of race, sex, language, or religion, so why does the UK Government think that it is acceptable to breach the human rights of disabled people?”

www.heraldscotland.com

17 thoughts on “UK is breaching human rights of disabled people, UN told

  1. MiKi67 says:

    I am SO glad to hear this. At last,this embryonic Nazi ConDem ‘government’ is beginning to get some comeuppance. Chris Grayling was on 5Live this a.m., lying through his teeth as usual. I emailed the station…I doubt they’ll take any notice,but I’m going to send them a link to this site,too. The mainstream media really has to get its act together around exactly what’s going down in this country. This sorry excuse for a Parliament CANNOT be allowed to continue in this vein,and we must all do what we can to bring it to its senses.
    There is NO viable Parliamentary opposition right now,and no serious attempts by MPs to scrutinise & FULLY examine/question the small clauses & fine print in the fascist policies being rammed through & implemented,some even before they reach the statute books. 99% of what this execrable ‘government’ is enacting is a a national disgrace.

    1. simmo says:

      The writing is on the wall but we the electorate are undecided whether we are sheep or ostriches or have been cajoled into believing we still live in a DEMOCRACY .The obvious façade of democracy started to be eroded when Thatcher smashed the UNIONS importing an American named McGregor . Thatcher spent £12 billion pounds ,£36,240,000,000.00 in today’s money to achieve her goal .Blair continued ,with his brazen disregard for cabinet meeting’s and held armchair discussions between him and his chosen advisers .Where were our representative MP’s to argue against this practice .Now we have Cameron and his fascist henchmen such as Schmidt and Grables ,Osborne and May who between them have decimated the welfare system ,made the rich ,richer and have shown scant regard for justice .The rule of Law should be executed on a level ‘playing field’ and not bits of EU law and British Law used in similar circumstances when it suits the Governments purpose. DEMOCRACY has been eroded ,things have gone too far ,there is only one vote open to us all – A NO VOTE ,let’s not support their BIG LIE .Would you buy something you didn’t want – why vote for something you know nothing about .Truth is not in a Politicians vocabulary .
      http://www.brokenbritainundertories.com

  2. MiKi67 says:

    I’ve emailed the link to this page to 5Live just this minute. I really hope they take note. I strongly urge EVERYBODY to do something similar.
    This “parcel of rogues” in Parliament,along with their cronies elsewhere,must not be allowed to continue any longer. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!

  3. . says:

    People of Britain you are witnessing the whole sale destruction of the welfare system of this country and a once in history transfer of vast wealth from the masses to the uber rich once complete we will be no more than surfs in this Country. Welcome to the beast system of revelations.

  4. Richard McTaggart says:

    I am pleased to read that UK* is in breach of UN* charter!
    my own feeble attempts have shown it’s Article19*
    related to independent living*
    UK* signed it! now honour it!

  5. Phil Lee says:

    I’m pleased the UN are looking into it, but I’d be a lot happier if the perpetrators were on trial at The Hague, where they should be.
    Along with all the uniformed thugs they employ, both warranted and contracted.

  6. Paul.H says:

    Wake up EUits our money that goes in your coffers money we have worked hard for being misused by our government to take away our human rights take our side for a change and stop listening to these profit mongrels thing about what the EU and Human rights stands for what it used to mean.

  7. Nigel Simmons says:

    BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – CAMERON FED UP WITH Abu Qatada
    So Cameron has realised his term in office has been an exercise on how not to try to Govern and looked to his Spin Doctors to come up with Plan X to appease the Public .Remember Cameron’s method of operation – play on the Publics hidden frustration with the Government and turn it to his own advantage .After 7 years trying and £1 million pounds in Benefits to Qatada Cameron states publicly that he is Furious and is thinking he will temporarily leave the ECHR then he can Legally Deport him .Don’t forget Closed Courts became Law last month meaning we the British Public would have no redress whatever concerning any Human Rights Abuse the Government carried out upon us.There is always a method in a Politicians madness . http://www.brokenbritianundertories.com

  8. Nigel Simmons says:

    BROKEN BRITAIN UNDER TORIES – BIG BROTHER –POLICE STATE
    GOVERNMENT SHUT DOWN WEBSITE .After applying for an Epetition after one had expired for David Nicholson to resign and be stripped of his knighthood and naming the Cabinet office as the Department responsible Yola shut my Website down with a curt email stating my content was not in keeping with their content policy .It took them 7 months to decide that .Also there was no reply email from Epetitions either- if one was cynical enough one could conclude that the Cabinet Office probably had a hand in the decision .Nicholson must have some pretty damaging knowledge about the powers that be to still hold onto his job after NHS scandal after scandal .Corruption holds no Bounds . http://www.brokenbritainundertories.com

  9. Nigel Simmons says:

    BROKEN BRITISH POLITICS – HENCHMEN OFF THE HOOK
    ID Smith ,Grayling & Maria Miller are off the hook from International Legal Action for contributing to the ATOS Deaths associated with their not fit for purpose Assessments.Article 7 of the Rome Statute states (k)” Inhumane acts … intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health.”
    By ratifying the Covenant, member states like the UK have a legally binding obligation to progressively improve, without retrogression, universal access to goods and services such as healthcare, education, housing and social security and to ensure just and favourable conditions of work,without discrimination, in accordance with established international standards. These rights must be achieved by using the maximum of available resources.Hence corrupt Cameron & his henchmen invented the Austerity situation to get them off the hook.BSBB
    http://brokenbritishpolitics.simplesite.com

  10. Nigel Simmons says:

    GAGGING BILL TO STOP OUR VOICES
    UK gagging law August 30th, 2013 by David
    I’ve just got back from my summer holiday. I read last week’s email, “38 Degrees under threat“, whilst I was away camping. Not exactly what you want to see when you’re trying to relax!
    I must admit I hoped I’d get back in the office and find my colleagues had been guilty of some exaggeration. I’ve spent the last couple of days speaking to lawyers and other experts, to get to the bottom of what’s going on.
    I’m afraid it’s really bad. The proposed gagging law would have a chilling effect on British democracy and our right to speak up on issues that matter to us. The draft law could effectively stop organisations like 38 Degrees from speaking out for the whole year before a general election. From May 2014, we would be banned from holding politicians and political parties to account in ways we do all the time at present.
    Community groups, charities and campaigning organisations would all be hit. On the big issues of the day – whether or not to go to war, the future of our NHS, the environment, welfare, immigration, etc – we’d all be gagged.
    Why are they proposing this? It’s hard to say for sure. Maybe it’s an unintended consequence of a badly written draft law. Or maybe it’s a deliberate attempt by politicians to silence their critics.
    Either way, they’re trying to rush it through. MPs have their first chance to debate it this coming Tuesday, with crunch votes lined up for soon after that.
    Please can you help stand up for democracy and send an urgent email to your MP now?
    It’s clear that 38 Degrees members have a key role to play in stopping this gagging law. We know how to move fast, and we know that when enough of us act together we can make politicians sit up and take notice. Already, by sending thousands of emails to the minister in charge, Chloe Smith, last week, we’ve started to force the issue into the open. See Tom Brake MP’s rather rude response to us here, and comprehensive rebuttals of his position by a campaigner and a lawyer
    MPs have spent the last few weeks on their summer break, and the last few days focused on Syria. A huge flood of emails right now is critical if we’re going to get this worrying law onto MPs’ radars in time to persuade them to vote against it.
    . So let’s come together and stand up for democracy and our right to be heard. Please email your MP urgently and ask them to oppose this terrible new law
    . So let’s come together and stand up for democracy and our right to be heard. Please email your MP urgently and ask them to oppose this terrible new law.
    David
    Executive Director, 38 Degrees

  11. Nigel Simmons says:

    BROKEN BRITISH POLITICS – BLAIR & CAMERON IN COLLUSION
    If only we the Electorate knew that Cameron & Blair were in Collusion before the Election the outcome might have been a different matter.As I have stated previously Blairs designs on Syria were thwarted by Assad eventually hence the latest excuse for involvement.” Cameron had backed Blair’s decision to block the publication of some damming letters in return for his ‘neutrality or tacit support’ at the Last general election”.Blair did carry on Thatchers Policies after hijacking the Labour Party and Cameron has implemented them.Now we know why Miliband becoming Labour Leader was so ‘Tied ‘to Tory Principal.Blair’s 100 years gag on his term in Office,his repealing of the Treason Act,now we face a new Bill in the form of a Gagging Act to stop us from using our own voices against the whole Corrupt System.Its reading takes place on Fri 6th Sept.It was no joke “We are all in it Together” BSB.
    http://brokenbritishpolitics.simplesite.com

  12. Nigel Simmons says:

    BROKEN BRITISH POLITICS- WHAT IT COSTS US NOT TO SEE
    Whatever happened to genuine Investigative Journalism,sorry I forgot the Government,Police & Media all shared the same squalid bed & probably still do.The Media is now a Privatised Propaganda Machine.UC is in total chaos but it’s not Smiths fault,UC actually replaces ID Cards a Data Base will list all our private information in one place.Little to do with Fraud or Fairness.
    Nicholson has faced calls to quit again after it was revealed hospitals have spent £2 million on more than 50 gagging orders some of which cost as much as £500,000. Northampton General Hospital paid £50,000 to silence a whistleblower &£95,000 to another last year.Nicholson with Blood all over his hands lives on until January 2014 so we are told.
    The BBC has used licence fee payers money to buy the silence of more than 500 staff with payouts of up to £500,000 each costing £28 million.No wonder they can’t afford decent TV.
    http://brokenbritishpolitics.simplesite.com

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