Member News
9th March 2009Following the recent Westminster Hall debate, Voice UK responds to the parliamentary joint committee on human rights report on human rights for adults with learning disabilities.
Infringements of the human rights of adults with learning disabilities are perpetrated by members of the public, the state, private bodies and voluntary organisations. Members of the public, private bodies and voluntary organisations are obviously not bound by human rights instruments; however, we contend that crimes and abuse perpetrated by them constitute human rights infringements (even if only in spirit).
Our intention in highlighting many human rights infringements perpetrated by these groups is to illustrate the full picture relating to the human rights of adults with learning disabilities and to describe the human rights infringements that the state has a duty to address.
A further reason is that we believe that private and voluntary sector organisations providing public services by contractual arrangement with a public body should be covered by the Human Rights Act because of the crimes and abuses which occur to those in their care.
VOICE UK believe that disabled people have:
• the right to life
• the right to liberty and security of the person
• the right to freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse
• the right to protection of property
• the right to liberty of movement as fear of disability hate crime leads people to curtail their movements
• the right to equal access to the criminal justice system
For more information visit the Voice UK stakeholder page.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd
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