The International Task Force of the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) today released a report that highlights examples of the severe abuse and neglect of individuals with disabilities around the World. The report, Neglected and Abused Abroad: A Look at the Severe Mistreatment of Individuals with Disabilities Around the World and How the U.S. Can Help, highlights just a few examples of the horrible treatment, abuse, and discrimination faced by individuals with a variety of disabilities in other countries. 

Some examples of abuse include:

• In Ghana, people with intellectual and mental health disabilities suffer severe abuse in psychiatric institutions and “healing centers.” Thousands of people are forced to live in these institutions, often against their will and with little possibility of challenging their confinement;
• In Kenya, a 10-year old girl who is deaf was raped but faces barriers in the justice system because of her disability;
• In Mexico, children with intellectual disabilities were abandoned at a private facility without any documentation on their diagnosis or even their names;
• Children in Paraguay were found in cells with walls smeared with excrement and reeking of urine; and
• In Russia, people with physical disabilities are prisoners in their own homes because of the widespread physical inaccessibility of Russian cities.

“Our country has an obligation to share our knowledge of how to ensure children and adults with disabilities live as full citizens, with dignity and independence,” said CCD Chair, Katy Neas of Easter Seals. “It is imperative that the United States show our leadership by ratifying the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities this fall.”

The full report is available at: https://www.c-c-d.org/fichiers/CCD_Inter_TF-Neglected_and_Abused_Abroad.pdf

The CCD International Task Force calls on the United States Senate to ratify the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – the CRPD. Through ratification of this important treaty, the United States will be in a much better position under international law to influence, train, assist, and if necessary use diplomatic pressure to work towards the equal rights and treatment of individuals with disabilities across the world – rights which have existed in the United States for years.

CCD is a coalition of over 100 national consumer, advocacy, provider and professional organizations working together to advocate for national public policy that ensures the self-determination, independence, empowerment, integration and inclusion of children and adults with disabilities in all aspects of society. For years, the coalition and its members have been calling on the U.S. to ratify the CRPD protecting the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. CCD calls on the entire U.S. Senate to quickly provide its advice and consent to the treaty and restore the United States to a global leadership position on disability and human rights.