Experts of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Welcome Chile’s Disability Institutions, Ask about Reports of Ill-Treatment in Psychiatric Units and Legal Capacity Laws
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities today concluded its consideration of the combined second to fourth periodic reports of Chile on its implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Committee Experts welcomed the disability institutions set up by the State and asked about investigations into reports of ill-treatment in closed psychiatric units and efforts to revise laws that allowed for the revocation of legal capacity.
In the dialogue, Committee Experts commended Chile on reviving its inter-ministerial Committee for Social Development and the Family on Disability and on setting up the National Commission on Disability.
Amalia Gamio Rios, Committee Expert and Leader of the Country Taskforce for Chile, cited reports of ill-treatment of persons in closed psychiatric units, including the use of electroconvulsive therapy without anaesthesia. There were also reports of persons being subject to extreme violence, chemical restraints and sexual abuse in State care. What was being done in response to these serious rights violations?
Ms. Gamio Rios also asked what the State party had done to remove revoking of legal capacity from the Civil Code and promote supported decision-making. One Committee Expert said that health legislation allowed for medical institutions to decide on medical interventions such as sterilisation, contraception and psychosurgery. When would this law be replaced with informed consent principles?
In introductory remarks, Silvana Lauzán, Chief of the Research Unit, National Institute of Human Rights of Chile, welcomed the legal progress that had been achieved by the State since the last review, but said Chile had not yet moved from a charity-based model of disability to a human rights-based model. She said there was no law on legal capacity in Chile that was in line with international standards.
Anuar Quesille, Representative of the Children’s Ombudsman’s Office, said in opening remarks that the Office recognised important legal progress made by Chile in recent years, but noted persistent gaps regarding accessibility, protection from violence and effective access to justice. It encouraged Chile to make headway in strengthening governance of policies for children with disabilities.
Presenting the report, María Jesús Wulf Le May, Minister of Social Development and Family of Chile and head of the delegation, said that in March 2026, the Government of President José Antonio Kast took office and set the construction of a more inclusive and accessible society as a priority axis of its agenda. In line with this, last July, the interministerial Committee for Social Development and Family for Disability Matters was reactivated; it aimed to develop public policies guaranteeing the exercise of the rights of persons with disabilities.
Addressing the Committee’s questions, the delegation said that in 2016, Chile criminalised torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Since then, there had been convictions for sexual violence against a woman in a psychiatric hospital and for torture in a children’s home against children with intellectual disabilities. There were ongoing investigations into other cases of torture and of electroconvulsive therapy in residential facilities.
The delegation also said Chile used the model of incapacity as an exception and recognised partial incapacity, which allowed persons to authorise a third party to make decisions on their behalf. The Ministry of Justice was committed to reviewing procedures related to the removal of legal capacity. Courts had rejected some applications to impose forced sterilisations, and the legal framework prohibited sterilisation without consent of people who could not express their wishes.
In concluding remarks, Ms. Wulf Le May said Chile was aware of the challenges it faced but it had also made substantial progress. The State considered the goals of the Convention in its efforts to promote the full enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities, which included creating special institutional bodies and applying public policies which mainstreamed the notion of disability within all State authorities.
Gertrude Oforiwa Fefoame, Committee Expert and Member of the Country Taskforce for Chile, in concluding remarks, commended the State party on its determination to work toward the effective implementation of the Convention, and called on it to fast-track the alignment of national legislation with the Convention. She said the Committee trusted that the goodwill expressed by the State would lead to the effective implementation of its concluding observations.
In closing remarks, Miyeon Kim, Committee Chair, thanked the delegation for its constructive engagement with the Committee during the dialogue. She said the information provided during the dialogue would assist the Committee in preparing its concluding observations.
The delegation of Chile consisted of representatives of the Senate; Ministry of Social Development and Family; Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; National Prosecutor's Office; Supreme Court; and the Permanent Mission of Chile to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue its concluding observations on the report of Chile at the end of its thirty-fifth session, which concludes on 27 August. The programme of work and other documents related to the session can be found here. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public on Thursday, 20 August at 10 a.m. to review the combined second and third periodic reports of Slovakia (CRPD/C/SVK/2-3).
Report
The Committee has before it the combined second to fourth periodic reports of Chile (CRPD/C/CHL/2-4).
Presentation of Report
MARÍA JESÚS WULF LE MAY, Minister of Social Development and Family of Chile and head of the delegation, said that in the dialogue, the delegation hoped to be able to present Chile's progress in complying with and implementing the Convention, as well as barriers and challenges that still persisted related to inclusion and ensuring that persons with disabilities in Chile could live a dignified life with real autonomy and with the support of their family and their community. The dialogue was very relevant for the State, as it coincided with its commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the Convention.
Chile ratified the Convention in 2008 and, as part of the process of adapting its domestic legal system, it published in 2010 the first body of legislation based on the biopsychosocial model and on the human rights approach of persons with disabilities. This committed the State to ensuring full social inclusion and eliminating any form of discrimination based on disability. The regulation created the National Disability Service “SENADIS”, which aimed to promote equal opportunities, social inclusion, participation and accessibility of the 3.2 million persons with disabilities in the country.
In March of this year, the Government of President José Antonio Kast took office and set the construction of a more inclusive and accessible society as a priority axis of its agenda. In line with this, last July, the interministerial Committee for Social Development and Family for Disability Matters was reactivated, headed by the President. The Committee aimed to strengthen coordination between the different State agencies in the area of disability and develop public policies aimed at guaranteeing the exercise of the rights of persons with disabilities.
More than 40 public departments had participated in an exercise to mainstream disability in laws, public policies and other State initiatives and to prepare the State party’s report, a process in which organizations of persons with disabilities also participated. The report highlighted legislative and public policy advances and relevant events that impacted the exercise of the rights of persons with disabilities. At the legislative level, these included the publication of various laws in areas such as labour inclusion, education, health, Chilean Sign Language, alternative communication systems, autism, support and care, and the creation of the National Service for Access to Justice.
In the area of public policies, all branches of Government had made efforts to mainstream disability, especially in the fields of health, education, work, emergencies and disasters, housing, public safety, access to justice and sports. The State party had also developed a certification system for disability that incorporated the human rights approach, and adopted in 2021 law 21.331, which recognised the right of every person to choose whether to undergo healthcare procedures. Since 2021, forced sterilisation of children and adolescents had been expressly prohibited. Further, the State had taken actions to minimise the negative effects of emergencies on people with disabilities, always ensuring access to accessible information, support services, health and education.
Chile subscribed without reservation to the notion in the Convention that the family was the fundamental unit of society, and that persons with disabilities and members of their families needed to be provided with the necessary protection and assistance. According to the national survey of disability and dependency, 71.9 per cent of those who performed care work at home and 85 per cent of those who cared for elderly persons were women. Chile was addressing this issue through its national system of support and care.
Almost 600,000 children and adolescents in Chile lived with a disability and faced issues such as late diagnosis, interrupted therapies and school dropouts. This was why early detection of disability and family support were at the centre of the State’s policy.
At the other extreme of life, Chile was aging fast. About four million Chileans were over 60 years of age, a significant percentage of whom had disabilities. The State was strengthening social policies throughout life, providing coordinated services focused on the family.
The State of Chile did not come to the Committee to say what it had done. It came to present its progress and concrete data, as well as its self-criticism and willingness to improve. The real measure of its work would be whether it had created a society where young persons with disabilities felt that they were able to look for work and use public transport without facing barriers.
PAULINA NÚÑEZ URRUTIA, President of the Chilean Senate, said in the 10 years since Chile last appeared before the Committee, the National Congress had approved a set of laws that had substantially strengthened the rights of persons with disabilities in the country. In 2017, it approved law 21.015 on labour inclusion, which established a minimum quota for hiring people with disabilities in the public and private sectors. That quota, which started at one per cent, had been increased to two per cent through law 21.690. In 2023, it approved law 21.545, which guaranteed the inclusion, comprehensive care and protection of the rights of people on the autism spectrum in the social, health and education fields.
In February of this year, law 21.805 came into force, creating the national system of support and care and enshrining for the first time the right to care for persons with disabilities. These legislative advances were in addition to law 20.422, the State’s framework law on inclusion of people with disabilities, which had been in force since 2010 and which had been subject to successive modifications to strengthen its application.
The Chilean Congress had promoted concrete adjustments to its infrastructure and created an integration department dedicated to guaranteeing accessibility in all the rooms of the Congress. Three years ago, it created the Permanent Commission on the Elderly and Disability, which was currently assessing 42 bills related to these matters. The Senate recognised that there was still a long way to go to fully implement the Convention but was taking on this challenge.
GONZALO ENRIQUE RUZ LÁRTIGA, Minister of the Supreme Court of Chile, said Chile’s higher courts of justice had been able to rule on the application of the Convention and domestic legislation to guarantee respect for disability rights. The Supreme Court’s Subcommittee on Access to Justice for Vulnerable Persons and Groups sought to adapt international standards to the State’s reality; it was part of the Court’s commitment to persons with disabilities. It had developed an online translation service for people with communication difficulties; and mentored courts, university groups, State agencies and civil society organizations on the application of protocols and guides related to disability.
Training for judges in charge of the Judicial Academy incorporated mandatory courses on disability rights. The State party valued dialogue with the Committee and looked forward to receiving the observations and recommendations that would arise from it, to strengthen its work and advance in the effective protection of the rights of people with disabilities.
Statements by National Human Rights Institutions
SILVANA LAUZÁN, Chief of the Research Unit, National Institute of Human Rights of Chile, welcomed the legal progress that had been achieved by the State since the last review. However, Chile had not yet moved from a charity-based model of disability to a human rights-based model. There was no law on legal capacity in Chile that was in line with international standards. There were articles in the Civil Code which continued to declare persons with psychosocial disabilities as being completely incapable. The bill before Parliament to correct this situation had been stalled since 2021. Chile had a national disability register and provided a disability card, but its disability classification system was bogged down in red tape and delays of up to 12 months. Currently, only 24 per cent of persons with disabilities in Chile were registered in the national disability register.
The Committee for Protecting Persons with Mental Illness did not carry out compliance inspections and lacked technical and institutional independence. Law 20.609 on preventing discrimination did not explicitly recognise denial of reasonable accommodation as discrimination. Some 73 per cent of claims in this regard were rejected by courts. The programme supporting the transition to independent living catered for only 2,000 people out of a total of over 1.6 million persons with disabilities. Some 95 per cent of children with disabilities were enrolled in education, but 50 per cent of them struggled to obtain the support they needed, which was provided only on a voluntary basis. Budget cuts had impacted the national human rights institution, including its ability to guarantee the rights of vulnerable groups. However, the institution remained committed to rigorous monitoring and permanent dialogue with the State party to ensure better implementation of the Convention.
ANUAR QUESILLE, Representative of the Children’s Ombudsman’s Office, said that the Office recognised important legal progress made by Chile in recent years, but noted persistent gaps regarding support, accessibility, inter-institutional coordination, protection from violence and effective access to justice. It encouraged Chile to make headway in strengthening governance of policies for children with disabilities. The State needed to mainstream disability in the national care system and provide the necessary resources and follow-up mechanisms, particularly for children and adolescents in State care.
The Committee needed to urge the State to ensure that there were sufficient diverse services and reasonable accommodation for children. Laws on legal capacity needed to be adjusted to ensure that every child could be heard and participate effectively in decisions affecting them. In this regard, the State needed to provide specialised training for the judiciary on legal capacity. The Ombudsman also called on the State to collect more data on children with disabilities, so that it could review related policies more effectively. The Ombudsman was working to make the ideals of the Convention a tangible reality in the lives of every child with disabilities in Chile.
Questions by Committee Experts
AMALIA GAMIO RIOS, Committee Expert and Leader of the Country Taskforce for Chile, said the review aimed to not only celebrate the State’s achievements, such as reviving the inter-ministerial Committee for Social Development and the Family on Disability, but also to look at challenges, such as ensuring sexual and reproductive health rights for women and girls with disabilities, promoting deinstitutionalisation and accessibility. The State needed to do more to ensure effective monitoring of the Convention.
A Committee Expert said that the Committee’s 2016 concluding observations called for laws 20.422, 18.600 and 21.331, which contained terminology that was counter to the Convention, the Civil Code and other laws, to be harmonised with the Convention. What had been done in this regard? Why had legal reforms been stalled in Parliament and Congress?
The 2016 concluding observations also called on the State to improve the disability classification system. The State party had trained staff on this system and set up registration offices across the country, but only one in four persons with disabilities were registered and had their disability certificate. How would the State party improve the classification process and increase the budget for the system?
The Committee had also called on the State party to include the denial of reasonable accommodation as grounds for discrimination against persons with disabilities. What had been done in this regard? Why had the inter-institutional roundtable on sexual and reproductive health rights been disbanded? What measures were in place to scale back the use of the medical model of disability and to implement the rights-based model?
Another Committee Expert said there was a lack of accessibility reported by Chilean persons with disabilities in all areas, including in the built environment, public transport, and public communication and services. Had enabling legislation on accessibility been put in place? Could State agencies implement and monitor accessibility regulations and were there sufficient funds for training staff on accessibility measures? The Expert congratulated the State on setting up the National Commission on Disability. What progress had been made in establishing the proposed national plan for accessibility?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Civil Code stated that all persons who were legally capable could exercise their legal capacity. The State party sought to protect people’s rights in the legal sphere. Chile used the model of incapacity as an exception and recognised partial incapacity, which allowed the person in question to authorise a third party to make decisions on their behalf. The State party would consider other countries’ experiences when adopting a supported decision-making process.
There had been no delays in reforming article 1447 of the Civil Code. The State was moving this process forward to incorporate the Committee’s previous concluding observations.
Since 2016, the State party had created specialised standing committees on disability in the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, which were responsible for monitoring public policies and legislation on disability. There was also a service in the Ministry of Social Development and Family that ensured that correct language on disability was used in laws. The Senate was working to improve the State’s laws, including the law on autism spectrum disorder, in collaboration with civil society.
Since 2012, the State party had moved from a medical model to a biosocial model of certifying disability, which included individual self-assessments by persons with disabilities on their ability to function in society. There were 23 disability units across the country providing disability certification. By May of this year, over 600,000 people had been certified and there had been a gradual increase in coverage over the past few years. The State was working to reduce the red tape within the system and waiting times, and had held training sessions on the certification system for civil society and certification agencies.
The State party had recently reformed labour laws to prevent discrimination in employment and adopted a law on the social inclusion of persons with disabilities. It had conducted several activities to ensure an intersectional approach in its actions and policies regarding disability issues. For example, one of the goals of the 2018-2030 gender equity plan was to take an intersectional approach to women in the country. The national childhood policy for 2024-2032 addressed sexual and reproductive rights. The National Disability Service had also recently rolled out an awareness raising campaign on sexual and reproductive health.
Since 2022, the National Disability Service had been providing an online training platform that included free training on accessibility standards, and 109,000 persons had registered for these online courses. Other State services were also rolling out promotional campaigns on removing barriers for persons with disabilities. In 2021, the State set up the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, which assessed accessibility in the workplace and the physical environment. The State had also, in June 2026, developed a national plan for universal accessibility, a 10-year Government strategy with 118 measures on improving accessibility in the fields of mobility, information, education and health.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
AMALIA GAMIO RIOS, Committee Expert and Leader of the Country Taskforce for Chile, asked what the State party was doing to amend law 20.422, which contained provisions that ran counter to the Convention.
Other Committee Experts asked about how the national plan on universal accessibility would impose compulsory accessibility measures; measures to ensure consistent human resources and budget for sign language interpretation services; the availability of sign language interpretation in public, medical and judicial sectors; mechanisms to ensure adequate resources for programmes promoting the social inclusion of persons with disabilities; the rate of improvement of the accessibility of public buildings over the reporting period; how the State respected regulations on informed consent and prevented enforced medical treatment; and efforts to address intersectional discrimination.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the national plan on universal accessibility was currently being revised by the 18 State agencies involved in its creation. The plan addressed various spheres, including housing, health, education, information and communication. Each sector would allocate appropriate resources to implement the plan, which would help the State party move forward in regulating accessibility. Adopting binding laws on accessibility was a State commitment. Civil society would play a vital role in monitoring the implementation of the plan.
Currently, media laws ensured that in emergency situations, national broadcasts were subtitled and interpreted into Chilean sign language. The State party was also developing regulations on training and teaching sign language.
Law 20.422 of 2010 required serious reforms to legislation to implement the human rights model enshrined in the Convention. There was still work to do in fully implementing this model, but the State was determined to continue this work.
Chile had specific rules covering free and informed consent in various sectors, including for health procedures. Information on medical procedures needed to be adapted to the needs of the patient. The rights of women with disabilities and persons with psychosocial disabilities to dignity, to have a family and to sexual and reproductive health needed to be respected. The mental health law of 2021 also included guarantees of free, informed consent with supported decision-making, and prohibited irreversible procedures and involuntary admissions.
Questions by Committee Experts
AMALIA GAMIO RIOS, Committee Expert and Leader of the Country Taskforce for Chile, asked about measures that had been taken related to the case of a 28-year-old man who died in hospital after being denied medical ventilation. Some 163 persons under State care had died while being held in isolation since 2014. What criminal and disciplinary actions had been taken in response? There were thousands of children and adults in residential facilities. When would the State abolish involuntary admission to these facilities?
There were reports of ill-treatment of persons in closed psychiatric units, including the use of electroconvulsive therapy without anaesthesia. It was shocking that the State party had no regulation for this therapy. There were also reports of persons being subject to extreme violence, chemical restraints, sexual abuse and disproportionate use of force in State care. What was being done in response to these serious rights violations?
What accessibility measures for persons with intellectual disabilities and deaf persons were provided in emergency situations? Did the State have protocols on support for persons with disabilities in emergency situations and were they drafted in collaboration with organizations of persons with disabilities?
There had been no changes to equality law over the reporting period. What had the State party done to remove revoking of legal capacity from the Civil Code and promote supported decision-making? Law 18.600 laid down standards on “persons with mental deficiencies”. This terminology ran counter to the Convention; what had been done to repeal it?
Had the State party evaluated its pilot project providing intelligent wayfinding for persons with low vision in the Santiago Court? Was this being transformed into a permanent project? Women with disabilities suffered in the social uprising of 2019. How had women with disabilities been included in developing the law on violence?
A Committee Expert said the State party had taken a positive step regarding legal capacity by amending law 25.84 regarding health. However, this law still addressed persons who “suffered from cognitive impairments” and allowed for medical institutions to decide on medical interventions such as sterilisation, contraception and psychosurgery. This ran counter to the Convention. When would it be abolished and replaced with informed consent principles? What informed consent mechanisms existed for persons with intellectual disabilities?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the prosecution service conducted investigations into deaths of persons that occurred in State institutions. It had a cooperation agreement with the National Disability Service and other State agencies on the investigation of deaths of persons with disabilities. In March of this year, it had implemented an early warning system that allowed for timely prosecution of deaths in custody, pursuant to the Minnesota Protocol.
Involuntary admission to psychiatric hospitals only occurred when there was a clear and imminent risk to the life and integrity of the person or third parties. All involuntary admissions were assessed by the family court within three days and needed to be regularly reassessed.
In 2016, Chile criminalised the crime of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment. Since then, the prosecution service had deployed efforts to comply with due diligence standards in investigating and punishing these crimes. There had been convictions for torture in some of the cases mentioned by the Committee, including convictions for sexual violence against a woman who had been admitted to a psychiatric hospital and for torture in a children’s home against children with intellectual disabilities. There were ongoing investigations into other cases of torture and of electroconvulsive therapy in residential facilities.
The State party had worked to provide timely, accessible information in emergency situations. All emergency messages were produced in sign language. The emergency and disaster management system had drafted a disability-inclusive disaster management guide, which had been circulated in accessible formats. The State party carried out monitoring activities to ensure that persons with disabilities had access to State support services in emergency situations.
The Ministry of Justice was committed to reviewing procedures related to the removal of legal capacity. The courts applied the provisions of the Convention and had rejected some applications to impose forced sterilisations. The legal framework prohibited sterilisation without consent of people, particularly children, who could not express their wishes. A decree adopted in October 2025 prohibited the sterilisation of children and adolescents and control of their fertility. Admission to psychiatric wards could not be determined solely based on disability. The State had an independent entity that ensured that informed consent instruments were adapted to the needs of the individual.
During 2019, the judicial branch implemented the first stage of the pilot project providing intelligent wayfinding for persons with low vision in the Santiago Court complex. The State was still evaluating whether the project could be extended to other courts.
The law on violence included vulnerability criteria, addressing women who suffered violence because of their gender or disability. Harsher punishments were issued for violence against such women. The law sought to eradicate gender-based violence against women and included specific measures to prevent violence against women with disabilities.
Questions by Committee Experts
AMALIA GAMIO RIOS, Committee Expert and Leader of the Country Taskforce for Chile, asked about systematic investigations carried out to determine the number of women who were subjected to sterilisation without their consent. What punishments had been handed down in these cases? There were also reports of a school imposing long-term contraceptives on students without their consent. Could the delegation comment on this?
The Committee was concerned by the situation of migrants with disabilities. What measures were in place to ensure health and education support and support for employment for these persons?
MAGINO CORPORÁN LORENZO, Committee Expert and Member of the Country Taskforce for Chile, asked if the State party had drawn up a programme based on the Committee’s guidelines on deinstitutionalisation. Did the State’s independent living programme include measures for inclusion in the job market? What results had been achieved by the pilot project promoting independent living? What measures were in place to draft a protocol on informed consent and bring an end to the living of persons with disabilities in State institutions? What progress had been made on increasing the accessibility of housing? How many residential centres in Chile were not managed by the Government, and how would the State regulate these? How many people had moved out of institutions and commenced independent living over the reporting period?
What measures were in place to promote personal mobility? How was the State making public transport affordable and accessible? What training was provided to public transport workers related to disability?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said there were no figures on non-consensual sterilisation in Chile, as this was not a stand-alone offence. However, the prosecution was preparing to conduct investigations into cases of sterilisation in collaboration with human rights groups. Chile had independent judicial mechanisms for dealing with these cases and recognised the competence of United Nations bodies and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights to assess them.
The civil registration system sought to bring down barriers for migrants by providing them with residency documents. Migrants were also supported by the State’s Alien Service.
The National Disability Service provided broad-ranging programmes to promote the right to independent living. It provided funding for assistive devices to enhance the autonomy of persons with disabilities; in 2025, around 7,500 people benefitted from this funding. The Service was also funding civil society-led programmes promoting independent living for persons with disabilities, and had a programme which funded support services promoting independent living for over 2,600 persons with disabilities. The State party was also working to certify more carers; as of 2026, over 5,800 carers had been certified. The State’s programme for independent living aimed to ensure the full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labour market.
The Ministry of Housing and Urban Planning had budget allocations for providing accessible housing for persons with disabilities. Supreme Decrees 49 and 52 established housing benefits for persons with disabilities and there were rural and urban housing programmes benefitting persons with disabilities.
Chile systematically worked to provide universal access to public transport. An interinstitutional roundtable was proposing amendments to transport regulations to increase accessibility features, such as low floors and access ramps. It was considering physical, sensory and cognitive accessibility measures.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
AMALIA GAMIO RIOS, Committee Expert and Leader of the Country Taskforce for Chile, said that individual support services had been discontinued and only collective support services were provided by the State; why was this? There were cases of deaf women not being able to obtain sign language assistance during medical appointments. How was the State supporting deaf women to access healthcare?
Other Committee Experts asked about sign language training systems for judicial professionals; the number of persons with disabilities who received personal assistance in 2025; measures to ensure that persons with disabilities received accessible early warnings of natural disasters and earthquakes, including through video messages and sign language; and plans to make video calls and real-time captioning services available on national hotlines.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State party had promulgated law 21.303, which promoted the use of Chilean Sign Language and the right of deaf persons to access public and private services, the labour market and sign language interpretation in all areas. Educational facilities provided training in Chilean Sign Language. The State wanted to ensure that there was at least one deaf teacher in each facility. The number of sign language interpreters in Chile had increased from roughly 100 in 2014 to more than 230 in 2025. The State was awaiting promulgation of a regulation governing training of sign language interpreters.
The register of disability support service providers had 3,300 persons and 475 legal entities as of August 2026. The individual support service programme was being reformed to ensure that proper support was provided to persons with disabilities; the programme had not been shut down. A new community-based support service would be rolled out in 2027.
Chile had specific regulations on ensuring that accessible information was provided in disaster situations. The emergency and disaster risk management programme included an early warning mechanism that sent evacuation alerts through text messages and transmitted accessible warnings to persons with disabilities. The law on emergency responses stipulated that risk management plans needed to include measures to protect carers, children, persons with disabilities and older persons and ensure their access to timely support. The State had developed a course for public officials on inclusive risk management, which stressed making accessibility measures a priority.
The State party was trying to address gaps in sign language provision and ensure that comprehensive assistance was provided in the healthcare sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministry of Health set up a platform called “Health Responds”, a video call service for deaf persons using Chilean Sign Language. Over 39,000 persons had used this service. The police used sign language interpreting and had modernised their police stations to make them more accessible; and the military police had a video call service.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert welcomed efforts made by the State party to ensure access to sign language. Were there plans to further expand the provision of sign language interpretation? What was the State party doing to monitor compliance by websites, digital platforms and broadcasters with compulsory accessibility regulations? What percentage of public and private entities complied with these regulations? How did the State party respond to non-compliance with accessibility regulations?
MAGINO CORPORÁN LORENZO, Committee Expert and Member of the Country Taskforce for Chile, asked about the timeframe for adopting the regulation on sign language interpreting. What measures were in place to remove barriers preventing persons with disabilities from marrying and exercising their parental rights? How was the State working to prevent the separation of children from their families and the institutionalisation of children on the grounds of disability?
What measures were in place to address barriers to accessing health for persons with disabilities? How was the State ensuring access to free and informed consent for medical procedures? What budgets and plans were there for supporting access to rehabilitation services, particularly in rural areas?
Another Committee Expert asked about measures in place to redirect resources from special schools to inclusive education. What funding was provided for teacher training related to disability? How was the State party promoting the inclusion of children with disabilities in education in rural areas? How many deaf students had been included in mainstream education? Some 30 per cent of children with disabilities remained in special education. When did the State plan to include them in mainstream education? Around 72 per cent of State universities lacked institutional disability policies. How would this issue be addressed? How would the State collect statistics on the number of students with disabilities who entered higher education institutions?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Chile was working with universities to set up a degree course on sign language interpreting. Complaints related to non-compliance with accessibility regulations could be submitted to the Comptroller-General’s Office, local police courts and line courts. Such cases generally led to convictions. Regulations enforcing subtitles and sign language interpretation for certain television broadcasts were currently before Parliament. The National Disability Service provided support to both public and private entities to ensure that they delivered information accessibly.
Under the Civil Code, a person’s disability status did not prevent the enjoyment of their marriage rights and their right to live with their children. Marriage was governed by State law, which provided specific criteria regarding impediments to marriage, including when one of the persons could not express their will to marry.
The State party was fostering access to education for children with disabilities through school integration programmes, which had been growing over the past 10 years. The number of students participating in these programmes had increased from 314,000 in 2015 to 475,000 in 2025. These programmes were rolled out in both urban and rural areas. Between 2023 and 2026, 13 training programmes for more than 9,400 teachers addressing support for children with disabilities had been carried out.
Since 2008, the State had conducted evaluations to determine the needs of students with sensory disabilities, and it had been providing Braille materials and alternative forms of communication for these students. Augmentative communication systems were provided for students with severe disabilities and students on the autism spectrum when appropriate.
The State party had been strengthening its coordination with higher education institutions to increase the support provided for students with disabilities. Special inter-disciplinary teams stepped in to assist these students as needed. Higher education institutions needed to provide adapted textbooks and materials for students with disabilities.
Chile was implementing a rehabilitation services programme, and between 2022 and 2026, the budget for the programme increased by seven billion pesos. These services were provided through community and family health centres located throughout the country.
Circular nine of 2022 stipulated that free and informed consent was required to carry out surgical sterilisation. Legal amendments had also been made to ensure reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities in the health sector.
Questions by Committee Experts
GERTRUDE OFORIWA FEFOAME, Committee Expert and Member of the Country Taskforce for Chile, asked about measures to reduce unemployment and increase the participation of persons with disabilities in the open labour market, particularly for women with disabilities. What steps had been taken to strengthen the implementation of legislation on labour inclusion? What sanctions were implemented for non-compliance with the employment quota? How was the State addressing the higher rate of termination among persons with disabilities? What measures promoted reasonable accommodation in employment and aimed to eliminate workplace discrimination?
What was the State’s timeframe for increasing the solidarity pension to at least the poverty line? How was the State expanding disability-related social protection, particularly for families living in poverty? What support was provided to unpaid caregivers?
What measures were in place to remove restrictions on the right to vote and to promote participation in political life for persons with disabilities? How did the State ensure the equal participation of women with disabilities in leadership positions in political bodies, and ensure that accessible voting materials were available?
How did the State enforce accessibility requirements for publicly funded cultural and artistic works, including films and audiovisual content? How did it ensure that sports programmes and infrastructure were accessible?
How was the State party incorporating the Washington Group tools into its disability data collection systems? How were organizations of persons with disabilities included in monitoring of the implementation of the Convention and international cooperation strategies and programmes? What steps had been taken to establish an independent monitoring mechanism to assess the implementation of the Convention?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the law on labour inclusion had been strengthened, with the quota for employment of persons with disabilities increased from one to two per cent, with penalties for non-compliance. There was 44 per cent compliance with the quota in the public sector and 25 per cent compliance in the private sector as of 2025. Overall compliance rates had increased by 4.5 per cent from 2023 to 2025. A certification system had been implemented for “inclusion managers” in workplaces; 9,000 persons had been certified thus far. A benefit was provided to employers who employed persons with disabilities. The State party also provided basic disability pensions and a subsidy for children with disabilities.
Chile had hosted the Para Pan American Games and the Para South American Games, and in 2027 would be hosting the World Special Olympics. Chilean para-athletes had achieved success at these events. A new law that would come into force in 2027 would compel almost all educational establishments in the country to have at least one hour of physical activity per week, and plans were in place to draft further protocols on the promotion of adapted sport.
In 2017, the State established an assisted voting service for persons with disabilities, and over 400,000 persons had since used this service. The State provided Braille voting cards and training for polling officers on supporting persons with disabilities. It was gradually improving the accessibility of polling stations, which needed to be located on the ground floor of buildings. Persons with disabilities on the electoral roll were exempt from fines for not voting.
The State party obtained data on disability through the national disability and dependence survey of 2022, which was based on the World Health Organization’s model disability survey. The 2024 census implemented the Washington Group short set of questions. The 2022 survey found that 17 per cent of the population had some degree of disability and 9.8 per cent had a degree of dependence.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Chilean Agency for International Cooperation for Development cooperated globally on disability affairs and projects aiming to implement the Sustainable Development Goals.
The State party had developed a bill amending legislation on the national human rights institution to appoint it as the independent monitoring mechanism for the Convention.
Follow-Up Questions by Committee Experts
AMALIA GAMIO RIOS, Committee Expert and Leader of the Country Taskforce for Chile, asked how the State party was working to reduce working hours for persons with disabilities. Did it support students when schools did not respond to their requests for integration into mainstream schooling? How was the State party promoting deinstitutionalisation for the more than 400 persons in psychiatric hospitals? Did the State party have figures on children who had been returned to their mothers with disabilities after having been separated at birth?
MAGINO CORPORÁN LORENZO, Committee Expert and Member of the Country Taskforce for Chile, asked if the State party was planning an awareness raising campaign targeting people in charge of the finance sector on disability rights, given recent budget cuts for disability programmes.
Other Committee Experts asked about plans to remove exceptions that allowed entities to get around the employment quota for persons with disabilities; how ministries would include a disability perspective in their upcoming programmes, given that the National Disability Service had ceased technical assistance in this regard due to budget cuts; whether television broadcasters were required to provide both captioning and sign language; quotas for the representation of persons with disabilities in political bodies in Chile; and measures to shift investment away from segregated workplaces and encourage greater access to the open labour market for persons with disabilities.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State had moved forward in deinstitutionalisation for persons with psychosocial disabilities. The Ministry of Health was developing a deinstitutionalisation plan for 2027. Disability was not grounds for separating mothers from their children; the State was implementing protection measures to prevent such practices.
The budget drafting process for 2027 was subject to legislative debate and democratic oversight. There were provisions allowing for budgetary adjustments when austerity measures were called for, which allowed the State party to comply with its obligations under the Convention.
Closing Statements
SILVANA LAUZÁN, Chief of the Research Unit, National Institute of Human Rights of Chile, said disability laws were essential but they required financing, institutional capacity and political will to properly implement them. The dialogue had demonstrated the shortfalls that the State party needed to address. The State needed to respond to the issue of legal capacity for persons with disabilities and ensure the participation of organizations of persons with disabilities in the development of public programmes and policies. Further budget cuts needed to be prevented to ensure that barriers to access to health and employment for persons with disabilities could be addressed. The national human rights institution aimed to ensure that persons with disabilities could live their lives on an equal footing with others, free from discrimination.
ANUAR QUESILLE, Representative of the Children’s Ombudsman’s Office, said the Office recognised progress by the State and commended its willingness to address areas where problems remained. Chile needed to face up to its challenges and protect the rights of children with disabilities through medium- and long-term programming. Budget cuts were disproportionately affecting children with disabilities. The Office called on the Committee to focus on the rights of children with disabilities in its concluding observations.
MARÍA JESÚS WULF LE MAY, Minister of Social Development and Family of Chile and head of the delegation, said that, throughout the dialogue, the delegation had endeavoured to respond to the questions posed by the Committee. Chile was aware of the challenges it faced but it had also made substantial progress. The State considered the goals of the Convention in its efforts to promote and protect the full enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities. These efforts included creating special institutional bodies and applying public policies which mainstreamed the notion of disability within all State authorities. In closing, Ms. Wulf Le May thanked all persons who had contributed to the dialogue.
GERTRUDE OFORIWA FEFOAME, Committee Expert and Member of the Country Taskforce for Chile, thanked the delegation for the candid and open dialogue. The Committee commended the State party on its determination to work toward the effective implementation of the Convention. However, there was a need to fast-track the implementation of the Convention, particularly in the alignment of national legislation with the Convention to reflect the human rights model of disability. Many critical areas of concern had been identified in the dialogue. The Committee urged the State party to put a system in place that allowed for close consultation with and the active involvement of organizations of persons with disabilities, including those representing women and children, regarding State processes. The importance of addressing the absence of an independent monitoring mechanism could also not be overstated. The Committee trusted that the goodwill expressed by the State would lead to the effective implementation of its concluding observations.
MIYEON KIM, Committee Chair, thanked the delegation for its constructive engagement with the Committee during the dialogue. She also extended thanks to representatives of the national human rights institution, the Children’s Ombudsman, civil society organizations and all other parties who had contributed to the dialogue. The information provided during the dialogue would assist the Committee in preparing its concluding observations.
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CRPD26.011E