8. Children with disabilities

 

 

 

 

52  Articles 2 and 23 of the Convention were the first ones in the international human rights system explicitly dedicated to disabled persons. Afterwards, awareness has increased. However, in many countries, the social existence of children with specific needs is not yet recognized. They are excluded from statistics. They have no access to basic social services.

 

53  The very large majority of disabled children live in developing countries and they have often only access to limited and inadequate health care. In these countries, the number and seriousness of disabilities could be strongly reduced by prenatal and health prevention policies, or by early interventions in case of wars. (In Cambodia, children represent half of the landmines' victims [60]).

The rate of disabled child mortality under the age of five is extremely high. They are also more often than others victims of physical, psychological and gender-based violence. Later, their disability will generally condemn them to exclusion.

In CIS countries, disability is still too often synonymous of institutionalization for concerned children. Health care improvement in these institutions is urgent as well as the development of policies to support families [61].

 

54 It is urgent to develop support and/or training programs for disabled children, their parents and professionals working in this field; and to promote global awareness of their situation. Groups advocating for these children's rights have to be supported.

 

 

[60] UNICEF New York (2004), "Children account for half of landmine casualties in Cambodia", 24 November, See  http://www.unicef.org/protection/cambodia24266.html

[61] Moscow, 2008, ISBN 2-914862-63-6 Bice - International Catholic Child Bureau.