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HUMAN RIGHTS
Environment and Disability
Did you know that roughly one in ten people in the world are disabled, about 500 million? About 300 million of disabled people live in developing countries, and about 160 million of them are women. Poverty, malnutrition, lack of access to medical facilities, and war are among the chief causes of disability. Once a person is disabled, they still face enormous barriers in their communities and outright violation of their rights. Few countries have anti-discrimination laws protecting the rights of disabled peoples, and although there is an international United Nations Human Rights Declaration on Disability which was developed in 1975, it has not ensured the protection of the rights of disabled people.
Disabled people have been actively concerned with issues of sustainable development, and for the Earth Summit developed a Declaration on Environment and Disability.
Cite as: Youth Sourcebook on Sustainable Development. Winnipeg: IISD, 1995. Online. Internet. http://iisd.ca/youth/ysbk047.htm.