Disabled Children Rights Experiences from the Field Supporting

Disabled Children Rights Experiences from the Field Supporting the Proposed Draft Article 16 Suggested by the ‘International Disability Caucus’ Presented by: Alaa Sebeh, MD Ph. D. Regional Advocacy & Social Protection Advisor SAVE THE CHILDREN UK Middle East and North Africa a. sebeh@scuk-mena. com

Rights of Cw. Ds to access and utilise fully adapted mainstream services - Based on SC UK experiences in MENA region Evidences demonstrating the denial of these rights in Egypt - NO access to Public Libraries - 2% accessing Youth Clubs (SC UK mapping research in Egypt) - Less than 2% accessing KGs / Primary Schools/ Informal Education or any forms of education

Rights of Cw. Ds to express their views & recognition of their evolving capacities to exercise their rights. Challenges facing SC UK Mena in our attempts to promote the capacities of disabled children to voice their needs, demand their rights and decide for themselves. Adult Controlled Environment • Domination of facilitators (e. g. the Egyptian National Network of disabled Youths). • Domination of Parents • Domination of adults with disabilities • Media personnel.

Rights for Birth Registration Children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to nonregistration, and their existence sometimes denied by their families (in Yemen and Morocco the rate is very low at 50% and 70 to 90% respectively). • Registration offices are centralised in urban areas Causes of nonregistration • Parent registering a birth are required to be registered themselves. (Often the case in rural south Morocco) • Costs of birth registration ( Morocco) • Stigmatisation of illegitimate children and discrimination of their mothers lead to non -registration (due to unwillingness to be identified). • Denial of the existence of a Cw. D (prevent daughter marriage).

Rights of Cw. Ds not to be separated from families. Institutionalisation of Cw. Ds is a major challenge, SC UK research in 2001 revealed: inappropriate admissions, isolation and low self-esteem among children, low levels of educational attainment and high unemployment among care leavers, lack of protection measures, and weak quality standards. Case studies and evidences from SC UK works in MENA Government records seldom monitor the numbers and causes of admission of children. There almost 30, 000 in Morocco and 25, 000 in Lebanon. Over 85% of children in Lebanon, Egypt and Morocco have two parents alive. In country X, government spends almost 70% of its social affairs budget on direct payments to institutions.

Rights of Cw. Ds to be protected • Abuse can often go unrecognised and unreported due to people's attitudes and assumptions about disability (e. g. assuming that physical injury or 'challenging' behaviour is a result of a child's disability not indicative of abuse). • Disabled children who've been abused rarely get justice as they are often considered 'un-credible witnesses. ' • Disabled children often lack the necessary language to communicate that they are being abused. • There is a common failure to consult with disabled children about their experiences, wishes and feelings, leaving them with little control over their lives. • Current child protection systems and practices do not take account of the particular circumstances and needs of disabled children who are abused