Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Some 10 per cent of the world’s population, approximately 650 million people, live with a disability.   They are the world’s largest minority, and some 80 per cent of them live in developing countries.  Among the world’s poorest people, 20 per cent have some kind of disability.  Women and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to abuse.  Persons with disabilities are more likely to be victims of violence or rape, and are less likely to obtain police intervention, legal protection or preventive care. Some 30 per cent of street youths have some kind of disability, and in developing countries, 90 per cent of children with disabilities do not attend school.

The needs and rights of persons with disabilities have been high on the United Nations agenda for at least three decades.  Most recently, after years of effort, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol was adopted in 2006 and entered into effect on 3 May 2008.