COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES CONSIDERS INITIAL REPORT OF THE UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities today concluded its consideration of the initial report of the United Arab Emirates on its implementation of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Sana Mohamad Ali Hassan, Undersecretary, Ministry of Community Development of the United Arab Emirates, introducing the report, said that a number of laws had been adopted for the benefit of persons with disabilities, including the Federal Law N° 29 of 2006 on the rights of persons with disabilities. Disability issues were included in public budgets to support the integration of persons with disabilities in the society, increase their social protection, and guarantee civil and political rights. The United Arab Emirates had adopted a number of policies to promote and protect the rights of persons with disabilities and meet their needs, such as on health care, sign language interpretation, reprinting of the bank notes to make them accessible to the blind and people with visual impairments, and facilitating access to telecommunication services. A draft policy on integrating persons with disabilities in the workplace, and the National Strategy on Disability drafted in line with the United Arab Emirates Vision 2021, were awaiting approval.
Committee Experts commended the United Arab Emirates for taking extreme positive measures in the medical, social and economic areas and for ensuring that persons with disabilities benefitted from the economic success of the country. A number of the human rights treaty bodies, including this Committee, had noted the lack of consultation with civil society organizations, and the delegation was asked about barriers to their participation and operation in the country. Experts were concerned about the continued application of the medical charitable model of disability and the use of derogatory language in laws and policies which was not acceptable 10 years after the adoption of the Convention, and asked about measures to promote a respectful image of persons with disabilities among the population, public officials and staff who worked with persons with disabilities. It was necessary to eliminate the guardianship of persons with disabilities and support their independence rather than limit their functioning, widen their access to basic and social services, and ensure that their voices were heard in the development of laws and policies.
In concluding remarks, Ms. Mohamad Ali Hassan thanked the Committee Experts and said that the United Arab Emirates was determined to work tirelessly and to properly use the Committee’s comments and recommendations, and to include them in the future projects and work plans, and to be among the best in terms of initiatives and steps taken for persons with disabilities in accordance with the Vision 2020.
Mohammed Al-Tarawneh, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the United Arab Emirates, in closing remarks, said that the Convention required a system-wide change in approaches and attitudes. In the United Arab Emirates, some practices such as substituted decisions, prevention of disability, gender inequality, denial of the right to vote or marry, and segregated schools, which were also supported by laws, signalled that the system-wide change was not yet fully triggered.
The delegation of the United Arab Emirates included representatives of the Ministry of Community Development; Ministry of Social Affairs; Ministry of Education; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation; Disabilities Affairs, Youth and Sports Authority; Dubai Executive Council; Community Development Authority; General Women’s Union; Sharjah City for Humanitarian Service; and the Dubai Club for the Disabled. The delegation also included representatives of the Permanent Mission of the United Arab Emirates to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The concluding observations on the report of the United Arab Emirates will be made public on Friday, 2 September 2016 and will be available here.
The Committee’s public meetings, with closed captioning and International Sign Language, are webcast at http://webtv.un.org/
The Committee will next meet in public at 3 p.m. on Monday, 22 August, to begin its consideration of the initial report of Guatemala (CRPD/C/GTM/1).
Report
The initial report of the United Arab Emirates can be read here: CRPD/C/ARE/1.
Presentation of the Report
SANA MOHAMAD ALI HASSAN, Undersecretary, Ministry of Community Development, United Arab Emirates, reiterated the commitment of the United Arab Emirates to human rights, and noted that it had adopted a number of laws for the benefit of persons with disabilities, including the Federal Law N° 29 of 2006 on the rights of persons with disabilities. A study had been conducted on the harmonization of national legislation with the Convention and a number of legislative amendments had been made such as Act N° 2 of 2014 on the protection of persons with disabilities in Dubai; the Federal Code on the rights of persons with disabilities, which was aligned with the Convention; the Decision of the Council of Ministers on non-governmental organizations and care and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities; and others.
Disability issues were included in budget cycles, with the first strategic cycle 2008-2010 aiming to revitalize policies of integration of persons with disabilities, and the inclusion of persons with disabilities in education under the School for All programme. The second strategic cycle 2011-2013 called for the protection of the social rights of persons with disabilities and the integration of persons with disabilities. The Government had adopted strategy 2017-2020 to guarantee the enjoyment of civil and political rights for persons with disabilities. An early diagnosis programme had been put in place to prevent disabilities, while the strategy adopted by the humanitarian care institution 2014-2018 focused on 11 priorities aimed at promoting the rights of persons with disabilities.
A number of policies had been adopted with the view of protecting and promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and meeting their needs, including on health care, preventive measures, sign language interpreters, reprinting of bank notes to make them accessible to the blind and people with visual impairments, and facilitating access to telecommunication services. A draft policy on integrating persons with disabilities in the workplace had been finalized in coordination with all stakeholders, while the National Strategy on Disability was being drafted in line with the United Arab Emirates’ Vision 2021. The Federal Law 25/2015 had been adopted to provide protection for women and girls with disabilities, and the association for the empowerment of women with disabilities had been established and was now conducting a study on the situation of women in the United Arab Emirates.
The United Arab Emirates was actively promoting and raising awareness about the Convention and had launched a national campaign in October 2015. The State was committed to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and particular focus was being given to a number of Sustainable Development Goals which focused on persons with disabilities in education, work, transport, and sustainable development. In closing, the Under-Secretary said that the United Arab Emirates was a young State which was racing against time to provide better services to its citizens from all parts of the society, and was committed to achieving its vision and maintaining the progress achieved over the past 45 years, based on the national values of respect for rights, security, tolerance and justice.
Questions from the Committee Experts
MOHAMMED AL-TARAWNEH, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the United Arab Emirates, saluted the United Arab Emirates for being one of the first countries from the Middle East and North Africa Region to have ratified the Convention and noted that it had submitted its report on time. The country enjoyed many privileges, including access to resources and benefiting from investments, and this economic success was benefitting persons with disabilities. However, some concerns remained which warranted further discussion in a constructive dialogue. One of them was the lack of information coming from representative organizations of persons with disabilities, which did not provide their written submission; at the same time, the number of organizations which operated independently of the State was very sparse. The lack of consultation with civil society organizations in the United Arab Emirates had been raised by several other human rights treaty bodies, and this Committee had also missed their presence and participation in Geneva.
The second concern was the continued approach to persons with disabilities which was heavily based on the medical and charity model of disability and which saw persons with disabilities as unable to meet normal requirements. In the year of the tenth anniversary of the Convention, no State should employ derogatory language to refer to disabilities, and terms such as “of unsound mind, insane” and others were no longer acceptable and should be purged.
It was necessary to eliminate the guardianship of persons with disabilities, including women with disabilities, and support their independence rather than limit their functioning. They must be able to decide where they lived, with whom, and which activities they engaged in within the community, including work, schooling and participation in decision-making. It was therefore necessary to widen the access of persons with disabilities to services such as education, health and social protection, and ensure that their voices were heard in the development of policies and laws. The proportion of nationals of the United Arab Emirates in the total population of the country was very small, and accounted for only 13 per cent; there was therefore a need to widen the category of right-holders. Further, the United Arab Emirates should establish an independent national human rights institution in line with the Paris Principles which would also be in charge of monitoring the implementation of the Convention. Further still, the United Arab Emirates should ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention which should not be seen as a tool for condemnation but a tool for guidance, continued reassessment and strengthening.
Another Expert asked why there were so many restrictions to the participation and operation of civil society organizations. The nationals of the United Arab Emirates were a minority in the country compared to non-nationals. What was being done to promote access to equal opportunities between women and men, and in particular among the population with disabilities? What measures were in place to protect women and girls, especially women with disabilities? The medical charitable model of disability was a source of great concern and the Expert asked about a campaign to promote the respectful image of persons with disabilities among the population, public officials and staff who worked with persons with disabilities.
The definition of disability contained in the Federal Act N° 14 of 2009 did not mention barriers and Experts asked whether the United Arab Emirates intended to further amend this definition and bring it in full alignment with the Convention. Noting that the United Arab Emirates was a federal country, Experts wondered how the implementation of the Convention was assured across the federal units, about the legal mechanisms in place to prevent disability-based discrimination and how they were implemented in practice, and about monitoring of the implementation of accessibility standards in the country.
How was the new anti-discrimination law compliant with the Convention, particularly in relation to the freedom of association for persons with disabilities and persons of different sexual orientation and gender identity? What mechanisms were in place for female domestic workers to report violence and abuse and seek redress?
According to the State’s report, there were 25,776 persons with disabilities, nationals and non-nationals alike, which was much lower than the World Health Organization’s estimate of 15 per cent of the total population – what was the reason which could explain the very low number of persons with disabilities in the United Arab Emirates? Primary prevention of impairment was not a measure of the enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities nor was it a measure of the implementation of the Convention. There were 66 institutions for persons with disabilities in the country, including those for children – what kinds of institutions were those, did they include residential institutions as well? What measures were in place to combat multiple discrimination against women with disabilities, to advance and develop their rights, and to empower women with disabilities?
There was indeed a great potential in the United Arab Emirates to fully implement the Convention, remarked another Expert and asked how the ratified Convention fit into the country’s legal system; about the 2006 laws on disability which had adopted the standards on accessibility and how the requirement of universal design was implemented in practice;, how the particular needs of deaf or hard of hearing were addressed; and the sanctions for not fully meeting the accessibility requirements.
How were parents of children with disabilities protected from discrimination on the grounds of disability? Which organizations of persons with disabilities were present at the moment in the country and what support were they receiving from the State to be able to perform their duty as representative organizations of persons with disabilities in political matters and in providing guidance to the State party on how to implement the legislation? What measures were in place to protect children with disabilities from corporal punishment as a result of their disabilities; children with disabilities were often punished because it was not understood that their behaviour was caused by disability and not by them “being naughty children”?
The United Arab Emirates referred to children with disabilities as “children afflicted with disability” or “retarded development” which was not appropriate and was not in line with the Convention. What efforts were being undertaken to change the attitudes in the society towards persons with disabilities?
MOHAMMED AL-TARAWNEH, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the United Arab Emirates, expressed concern about the lack of a binding legal and policy framework to ensure accessibility for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others, and to facilities and services provided to the public throughout the seven emirates, including information, communication and transportation.
MARIA SOLEDAD CISTERNAS REYES, Committee Chairperson, remarked that the population of the United Arab Emirates was made up chiefly of migrants. It was not a State party to the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families, nor was it a State party to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. In 2015, the United Arab Emirates had received recommendations to promote equality for women and to do away with gender-based violence, which was also linked to the Sustainable Development Goal N°5 on gender equality. The Committee on the Rights of the Child had recommended the adoption of policies and strategies to promote and defend the rights of children with disabilities, and this was also linked to the Sustainable Development Goal on reducing inequalities. What concrete steps were being taken to ensure the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development?
Response by the Delegation
Under its 2030 Vision, the United Arab Emirates aimed to become the best country in the world for members of its society, particularly persons with disabilities.
A number of laws were in place that governed the work of civil society organizations and their relationship with the State; there were many organizations on persons with disabilities which were either staffed with persons with disabilities or with experts on disability. The Federal Act governed such civil society organizations, and support was provided by the Ministry of Community Development and other Ministries. There were more than 150 civil society organizations in the country at the moment, and they received regular financial support from the Government on the basis of the performance assessment. A representative of one such civil society organization on persons with disabilities was a member of the Committee in charge of the preparation of the State’s report.
The Government had gone a long way in addressing barriers and obstacles to accessibility and had adopted the Federal Act 229 and the laws which enacted it, including the National Code on Reconstruction, and the 2014 Accessibility to Government Buildings for Persons with Disabilities Law, which was being implemented throughout the country. Building permits were issued in accordance with the conformity of planned buildings to accessibility requirements. All seven airports in the country were accessible, the underground metro train was fully accessible, as were all other means of public transportation. Some cities were making more efforts to implement the accessibility criteria, for example the experts from the Gates Foundation were conducting a ten-year study to ensure full accessibility throughout Dubai.
The United Arab Emirates was the first country to accede to the Marrakesh Treaty; since 2013, all public websites were fully accessible to persons with disabilities and all television channels transmitted also in sign language. In terms of access to sports, this year alone, more than seven championships had taken place which attracted more than 200 persons with disabilities each. An application was available to assist people with hearing disabilities to communicate with others, for example in hospitals or restaurants.
Turning to questions concerning the federal system of the country, a delegate said that the federal law was the master law and was above all domestic laws in each of the seven Emirates. The law on the needs of persons with disabilities was issued by the federal authorities and was implemented throughout the country, with each Emirate having the possibility to positively contribute to the law by adding another service for persons with disabilities. The federal law ensured that all persons with disabilities in all parts of the country enjoyed the same quality of service. The Council of Ministers had adopted the criteria for services delivered to persons with disabilities, including in the area of rehabilitation and education.
The United Arab Emirates provided equal opportunities without distinction of gender or sexuality and there was no discrimination against women. The study on the situation of women with disabilities had been conducted by civil society organizations and it would be discussed in the Forum to take place in October 2016 and in which organizations of persons with disabilities and women with disabilities would take part. Economic opportunities were opened to women and men without discrimination, and all Ministers had women with disabilities on their staff. All persons in the United Arab Emirates enjoyed equal opportunities and there was no discrimination against women on the basis of disability. The empowerment of women, both women with and without disability, was a priority for the country.
In terms of the ratification of international instruments, a delegate explained that the first step in the process was the approval of the Council of Ministers, and the instrument would them be presented to the President for his approval. There was also a need to ensure that all legislation was aligned with the requirements of the treaty, before it was ratified; this was also true for the Optional Protocol to the Convention. The ratification was done through the federal system, which had an obligation to ensure that all the Emirates had the capacity to implement the treaty and had the necessary laws and policies in place.
During its Universal Periodic Review process, recommendations were issued to the United Arab Emirates concerning the establishment of a national human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles. The country had accepted those recommendations and the study of their implementation was currently being conducted; it was hoped that during its next Universal Periodic Review in 2017, the United Arab Emirates would be able to report that this recommendation had been implemented.
Violence against persons with disabilities was prohibited by the law, while the Children’s Law specifically prohibited violence against children with disabilities.
The right of complaint was enshrined in the Constitution and all people on the national territory had the right to lodge a complaint, including foreign domestic workers. The Ministry of Interior had set up units to facilitate the filing of complaints, and a workers’ litigation had been established. In Dubai, the police had set up a unit on fighting gender-based violence, including violence against female foreign domestic workers. In 2013, a total of 880 litigations between employees and employers had been registered.
The United Arab Emirates was aware of the shortcomings in the availability of data and was deploying huge efforts to address it; recently, the National Statistic Centre and the relevant authorities had been integrated in order to deal with the statistics and information at the level of the Emirates, which should improve the data collection and analysis system. The data used in the report was from 2005, including the data used in providing the figure on the number of persons with disabilities in the country, both nationals and non-nationals. This number had been updated with data from the Ministry of Social Protection according to the number of disability cards issued to persons with disabilities so that they were able to access services. The United Arab Emirates was in the process of adopting a unified definition of disability on the federal level, as well as a unified data system.
Some Experts remarked that the number of migrants and expatriates in the country was rather high, while the number of persons with disabilities was rather low and accounted for less than 10 per cent, which was due to the fact that the majority of the population was made up primarily of migrants who came to the country to work.
The delegation said the 2006 Federal Law on the rights of persons with disabilities ensured access to leisure and related infrastructure to all persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, on an equal footing with others.
Questions by the Committee Experts
A Committee Expert inquired about disability-inclusive disaster risk preparedness and management and if training was provided on the rescue of persons with disabilities. What was the overall accessibility of court buildings, both physical accessibility and the availability of legal documents in Braille print and sign language interpretation? With regard to the right to an independent living, what services were available to persons with disabilities in this regard, and especially to persons with a high level of need for help for daily functioning?
Disability as defined in the Federal Act N°14 was not consistent with the Convention or with the human rights-based approach, it was very discriminatory and it did not recognize the social barriers. Furthermore, the laws in the country continued to use derogatory language when referring to disability or persons with disabilities. How many persons with disabilities – men and women - lived in rehabilitation centres?
The Civil Code and Civil Procedural Code were in violation of Article 12 of the Convention as they used derogatory language; what was being done to remove from the laws all derogatory terminology and restrictions of legal capacity of persons with disabilities? What was being done to prohibit forced sterilization and forced abortion, even if a person was restricted in terms of their legal capacity? What was being done to protect women and girls with disabilities from sexual violence, including incest and any forms of violence in the private areas at home or in school? Were there any disability-based restrictions on migrants to regulate their status or request nationality? Legal capacity could be restricted also on the basis of gender; what plans were in place to grant full legal capacity to all women and all persons with disabilities?
What were the cases in which the freedom of persons with disabilities could be denied and how many persons with disabilities were incarcerated? Marriage could be restricted on grounds of cognitive disability, which sounded as a eugenic population policy which was contrary to the provisions of the Convention. How many children with disabilities were enrolled in mainstream schools, how many were in special schools, and how many, and with which disabilities, were kept at home?
What steps were being taken to repeal provisions in the legislation allowing for consent by a third party to various forms of treatment, medical research, or experiments on persons with disabilities? What legal measures were taken to explicitly prohibit violence against women with disabilities, including domestic violence, marital rape and harassment by husbands? What was being done to ensure registration at birth of girls with disability and their access to all social services on equal footing with other children?
MOHAMMED AL-TARAWNEH, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the United Arab Emirates, asked what was being done to remove physical or architectural barriers in the existing buildings.
Response by the Delegation
The United Arab Emirates had conducted a study on the alignment of domestic laws with the Convention, and had finalized the project of a draft amendment of the Law 29 of 2006 on the rights of persons with disabilities to align it with the Convention; it was now ready for adoption. Concerning the definition of disability, a delegate explained that a number of laws contained derogatory language about disability, which was common to many countries and had to do with differences in culture. The Convention did not provide a clear-cut definition of persons with disabilities. The English version of the Convention mentioned the world “impairment”, which was translated into Arabic as “defects”, which could explain terminology used by all Arabic countries. The amendment of the Law 29 would remove any diminishing, derogatory or dehumanizing language and concepts related to disability.
Concerning the qualification and training programmes provided to members of rescue and emergency services, the United Arab Emirates had in place a training plan across State authorities, as well as a guide on how to deal with persons with disabilities in case of crisis and emergency. Members of the police, civil defence, firefighters, and emergency medics were trained on the rescue of persons with disabilities. The National Evacuation Plan had a chapter dealing with persons with disabilities.
In order to ensure access to justice for persons with disabilities, laws were in place governing the translation of court documents and communication while sign language interpreters must be provided in cases involving people with hearing impairments. All legal and court documents were written in a way which allowed persons with disabilities to read and understand them. The Civil Code stipulated the obligation of a judge to appoint a legal assistant to persons with disabilities in order to help them follow through their legal procedures.
The Law 29 of 2006 defined the right of persons with disabilities to an independent living, and the responsibilities of the State to ensure the enjoyment of this right. The law also prohibited the isolation of persons with disabilities from their families and communities, including in centres for rehabilitation and care, and ensured their integration into the society. Activities were being undertaken to increase awareness about best practices worldwide to ensure the right to independent living, while regulations were in place governing the construction of premises to ensure independent living.
A number of institutions in the United Arab Emirates provided shelter and protective environment to women with disabilities. The aim of associations of women with disabilities was to integrate women with disabilities in the development of policies and in their implementation and follow up and to support their integration into the society. Women with disabilities enjoyed a whole range of sports activities and they also took part in international sporting activities. Forced sterilization and forced abortion were prohibited and were not practiced in the country, not even in cases where it was certain that a foetus had disabilities. Forced sterilization or abortion on persons with disabilities were not only prohibited, but criminalized. The Federal Law on medical responsibility prohibited medical tests on persons with disabilities without the licence of stakeholders.
Child protection hotline services were provided across the country with all calls processed by the competent authorities locally and federally. At the moment, eleven persons with disabilities were incarcerated; they received adequate health care and adequate equipment in line with the existing standards. There were 72 care centres for persons with disabilities which provided diagnostic and early intervention services, in addition to treatments supporting their needs. Persons with visual impairments were referred to specialised centres, while 125 teachers had been trained to deal with children with visual impairments.
Local authorities were mandated to supervise the construction of new buildings and the application of accessibility criteria. Committees on maintenance were in charge of taking stock of existing buildings and producing plans to make them more accessible; the Committees also issued maintenance permits to construction companies which certified their compliance with accessibility requirements. Laws on accessibility were enforced across the country, and all facilities were inspected if a complaint related to accessibility was filed.
Every citizen had the right to file a complaint to the competent authorities in case of the violation of any rights enshrined in the Constitution. A complaint mechanism was accessible to the public through the Internet, and there was a daily programme on the radio through which complaints could be filed directly by citizens and non-citizens, and which were being processed live by government officials from the competent authorities. The indicators of justice and the rule of law in the United Arab Emirates clearly demonstrated that the government bodies were fully transparent and accessible to all. Persons without legal capacity had the right to guardianship to protect their rights, interests and assets; if a person without legal capacity possessed large assets, those would be controlled by a court of law.
Questions by the Committee Experts
In the next round of questions, the delegation was asked about the right of persons with disabilities to marry, including how this right was guaranteed to persons with restricted legal capacity; about the investment made in inclusive education; and the intention to set up an independent national human rights institution in accordance with the Paris Principles or to create another independent monitoring body.
According to the statistics provided in the State’s report, there were no children with intellectual disabilities in mainstream schools; what were the intentions to shift selective integration to the concept of inclusive education to achieve Sustainable Development Goal N°4 on inclusive, equitable and quality education for all children without distinction?
A Committee Expert asked about the amount of money invested in providing reasonable accommodation to students with disability in mainstream schools, whether any school could refuse enrolment of a student with disability, and which authority was in charge of deciding whether children with disabilities attended mainstream or special schools?
The collection of data on persons with disabilities was difficult for many States and the delegation was asked about the systems for data collection in the United Arab Emirates; about international cooperation and technical support and assistance on disability issues provided by the United Arab Emirates to other countries; and about the role that the United Arab Emirates played in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
What was the view of the United Arab Emirates on unifying sign language in the Arab region, particularly in the view of deaf people who rejected the unified dictionary which they did not understand and requested that the teaching in schools was in the Emirati sign language? What support was being provided to parents with children with disabilities, particularly those with intellectual disabilities, autism or who were blind? How was the United Arab Emirates addressing the rights and needs of children with disabilities of migrant workers, and how did they collect data on this group? What system was in place to mainstream disability rights in the implementation and monitoring of the Agenda 2030 and how were persons with disabilities and their organizations therein involved?
MOHAMMED AL-TARAWNEH, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the United Arab Emirates, commended the United Arab Emirates for taking extreme positive measures in the medical, social and economic areas for the benefit of persons with disabilities, and noted that statistics on persons with disabilities needed to be improved. There was a gap between the implementation of the Convention in Dubai, where the attention seemed to be focused, and other federal Emirates where more forward implementation of the Convention and other international treaties was needed.
Another Expert asked about training provided to teachers to adequately support students with disabilities in mainstream schools, and about measures to increase social benefits to persons with disabilities and ensure they enjoyed an adequate standard of living.
MARIA SOLEDAD CISTERNAS REYES, Committee Chairperson, took positive note of the very high rank of the United Arab Emirates – 41st – on the Human Development Index, and remarked that there was no universal prohibition of corporal punishment which was only prohibited in schools. What initiatives were in place to broaden the protection from corporal punishment beyond the school environment?
Response by the Delegation
Persons with disabilities in the United Arab Emirates had the right to marry, in a ceremony supervised by a charitable organization; they received a cash benefit to help them with a happy honeymoon, had access to low-cost housing which was secured before the wedding, and women with hearing disabilities with new-born children received financial support to purchase the necessary equipment such as vibrating baby monitors.
The Ministry of Education was developing a strategy for inclusive education; to date, there were a number of initiatives focused on ensuring the necessary equipment for schools, raising awareness about the integration of children with disabilities, and making kindergartens inclusive as well. The inclusive education system applied to public and private schools. All schools were being monitored and evaluated with a view to assess the implementation of inclusive education. In order to support the implementation of inclusive education, the Government had put in place education programmes for teachers of students with disabilities, and provided a regular annual allowance to each school for the provision of equipment and materials; to date, 66 per cent of teachers had been trained in teaching children with disabilities.
The Community Development Committee was the authority which assessed the specific needs of a child with disability, determined which school they would attend and developed individualised learning programmes for them. Students in need of special care were assigned to special classes and there were 48 such classes at the moment. The 2008 pilot programme had seen 10 schools applying the inclusive model of education system, with the goals to extend the inclusive model to all schools in the country. There was no special housing for children with disabilities; they were housed with their families. School was mandatory for all children, and the Government coordinated with parents of disabled children to ensure that they attended school regardless of the type of disability.
There were problems in using local dialects in sign language, particularly in the context of the great diversity in the country whose population comprised more than 200 nationalities. A Committee with representatives of the seven Emirates had been set up to develop a unified vocabulary and terminology which would then be disseminated to various specialised education centres. The sign language would be unified starting in 2017. There were a number of television channels in the country, and there was at least one programme per day on each channel which was transmitted in sign language.
The United Arab Emirates provided substantial assistance to persons with disabilities internationally and was a pioneer in this area, contributing 1.26 per cent of its gross domestic product to official development assistance, including to funds for refugees, international public health, vaccination, malaria, and others. Some $ 600 million were being provided for international cooperation programmes annually. The United Arab Emirates Sports Federation provided specialised sporting equipment to athletes with disabilities in many countries.
The Childhood Act had been adopted in 2016 and it prohibited any form of physical or psychological abuse of children, including violence, ill-treatment, and neglect. Under the same law, the Unit for the Protection of Children had been created, which was empowered to receive complaints and any kind of information about violence against women. All persons who had dealings with children – doctors, teachers, social workers and others – were duty bound to report violence and abuse. The Federal Law prohibited any form of physical abuse of children.
Criminal responsibility in the United Arab Emirates started at the age of seven, and the age had been set at the age of nine in the juvenile justice law. A crime committed due to mental illness did not carry criminal responsibility and the perpetrator would not face trial but would rather be transferred to a specialized institution to receive the care that he or she needed.
Concluding Remarks
SANA MOHAMAD ALI HASSAN, Undersecretary, Ministry of Community Development, United Arab Emirates, thanked the Committee Experts and said that the United Arab Emirates was determined to work tirelessly and to properly use the Committee’s comments and recommendations, and to include them in future projects and work plans. The aim was to excel and be among the best in terms of initiatives and steps taken for persons with disabilities in accordance with the Vision 2020.
MOHAMMED AL-TARAWNEH, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the United Arab Emirates, recognized the challenge in moving from a medical and charity model to a human rights-based approach for persons with disabilities, and said that 10 years on, the Committee expected States parties to have grasped and taken action towards the paradigm shift. It would not happen overnight, and that was why immediate steps must be taken. The country Rapporteur stressed the need to strive higher and wider and recognized that there was no country in the world in which women and men were fully equal in practice, where women with disabilities were fully equal with all other women, or where lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons and migrants enjoyed the same level of protection of their rights as others. The Convention required many measures, but above all, a system-wide change in approaches and attitudes; substituted decisions, prevention of disability, gender inequality, denial of the right to vote or marry, and segregated schools were among the practices supported by laws which signalled that the system-wide change was not yet fully triggered in the United Arab Emirates.
MARIA SOLEDAD CISTERNAS REYES, Committee Chairperson, thanked the delegation for the commitment of the United Arab Emirates in implementing the Convention and sent greetings to persons with disabilities and civil society organizations in the United Arab Emirates.
For use of the information media; not an official record
CRPD16/019E