Draft Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization, including in emergencies
The Committee invites all relevant stakeholders, including States parties, right-holders under the Convention, principally persons with disabilities through their representative organizations, other civil society organizations, independent monitoring mechanisms, national human rights institutions, and Human Rights Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures mandate holders, to provide written submissions on the draft Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization, including in emergencies by 30 June 2022.
These Guidelines will complement the Committee’s General Comment No. 5 (2017) on article 19 on the right to live independently and be included in the community, and its Guidelines under article 14 on the right to liberty and security of persons with disabilities. They will provide guidance to parties to the Convention, civil society organizations and other stakeholders to support their efforts to implement the right of persons with disabilities to live independently and be included in the community.
- These Guidelines draw on the experiences of persons with disabilities before and during the pandemic, which reported the widespread prevalence of institutionalization of persons with disabilities; the harmful impact of institutionalization on the well-being of persons; and the violence, neglect, abuse, ill-treatment and torture, including chemical, mechanical, and physical restraints, experienced by persons with disabilities in institutions. The pandemic has exacerbated these phenomena, while human rights oversight systems and independent monitoring were limited or suspended.
- The process of preparing the Guidelines began in late 2020 and result from a participatory process, which included seven regional consultations organized by the Committee in 2021 for Africa; Asia Pacific; Caribbean and North America; Central and South America; Eastern Europe and Central Asia; European Union, other Western European States and other States; and Middle-East and North Africa. In these consultations, supported by the Global Coalition on Deinstitutionalization, more than 500 women with disabilities, children with disabilities, survivors of institutionalization, persons with albinism, grassroots and self-advocacy organizations, other civil society organizations presented testimonies, experiences, and proposals. In September 2021, the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted an annotated outline of its Guidelines on Deinstitutionalization.
Formal requirements for submissions
- Written submissions are welcome in English, French and Spanish, working languages of the CRPD Committee.
- Written submissions should not go beyond 2000 words, excluding executive summary and footnotes.
- Submissions must identify the paragraphs of the draft guidelines on de-institutionalization under comment and indicate suggested changes. General observations and those related to the document structure are also possible; however, stakeholders are encouraged to make specific comments to paragraphs of the draft Guidelines.
- When relevant or possible, support sources for comments are welcome, including in footnotes and direct links.
Written submissions should be sent to jorge.araya@un.org; carlajeanette.villarreallopez@un.org.