Category: Zambia
-
Zambia: Zambian authorities must implement the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’ recommendations
A range of Zambian organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) and other civil society organizations (CSOs) – who early in March this year made submissions to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Committee) ahead of its examination of Zambia’s compliance with and implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights…
-
Zambia: Courts Miss Opportunity to Extend Equal Protection Before the Law for Persons with Intellectual and Psychosocial Disabilities
The Supreme Court of Zambia has handed down a judgment ruling against a petition challenging the constitutionality of Section 4 of the Zambian Mental Health Act 2019. While applauding the petitioners, Sylvester Katontonka of the Mental Health Users’ Network of Zambia (MHUNZA) and Wamundila Waliuya of Disability Rights Watch (DRW), the court upheld a previous…
-
Tackling Torture Against Persons with Disabilities in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic – webinar series
in Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Honduras, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Uganda, United Kingdom, USA, Zambia, ZimbabweAs the COVID-19 pandemic rages around the world, evidence is emerging that measures taken by states are resulting in severe consequences for persons with disabilities. From brutal enforcement of lockdown orders through to the denial of basic and emergency health treatment, persons with disabilities are at risk of experiencing severe pain and suffering with life-changing…
-
Statement of the Coordinating Group of the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor at the Opening of the Twenty-Third Session of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
in Article, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Honduras, Hungary, I’m A Person, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lithuania, Mexico, Moldova, Mozambique, My Home, My Choice, Namibia, Nepal, Nigeria, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Rwanda, Schools For All, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Switzerland, Uganda, Uncategorised, United Kingdom, USA, Zambia, ZimbabweAt the opening of the 23rd session of the CRPD Committee, on 17 August 2020, Validity’s Co-Executive Director, Steven Allen spoke on behalf of the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor Coordinating Group and shared some preliminary findings of the global survey, which was translated into 25 languages and received more than 2,100 responses from 134 countries.…
-
Launch of the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor Dashboard
Since 20 April 2020, through a global survey, the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor (DRM) has been gathering data to conduct rapid independent monitoring of state measures concerning persons with disabilities in the context of the pandemic. Today, the initiative reaches a new milestone with the launch of the COVID-19 DRM Dashboard that allows the public…
-
Disability Rights During the Coronavirus Pandemic: Launch of the COVID-19 Disability Rights Monitor
Evidence is emerging that persons with disabilities are being disproportionately affected by the Coronavirus pandemic and emergency measures being taken by governments worldwide. As governments rush to respond to the virus, it is more critical than ever to guarantee that measures taken are fully inclusive of persons with disabilities and prevent human rights violations from…
-
Zambia High Court Calls for Review of Mental Health Law
Lusaka Zambia – On 17 November, Zambian disability activists from the Mental Health Users Network of Zambia (MHUNZA) and Disability Rights Watch (DRW) held a press conference on the outcome of decision of the Zambian High Court concerning the constitutionality of the 1949 Mental Disorders Act. In a Petition brought by three people with psychosocial disabilities, and…
-
Zambia Must Close Abusive Institutions, says UN Expert
Ms. Catalina Devandas, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Disabilities has welcomed greater respect for the rights of people with disabilities in Zambia since 2010, but says the country must go further and abolish abusive practices against people with mental disabilities. In her report to the UN Human Rights Committee, Ms. Devandas expressed concern that the…
-
Regional African Treaty has Potential to “Strengthen Implementation” of Disability Rights on the Continent
Validity (formerly MDAC) has provided detailed recommendations to the African Commission on Humans and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) as it develops a regional Protocol on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa. The submission draws on Validity’s extensive research on the lives of people with mental disabilities in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia and calls for “effective remedies” for…