Protection

Government Focal Points

To comply with the Convention, the Scottish and UK Governments must identify focal points to coordinate action to implement the Convention across government. The Office for Disability Issues is the UK Government focal point. The Equality Unit is the Scottish Government focal point.  

National independent mechanisms

The Convention requires that there should be a framework, including one or more independent mechanisms to promote, protect and monitor the implementation of the Convention. In Scotland, the Equality and Human Rights Commission and the Scottish Human Rights Commission jointly have this role.

UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention created the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (the Committee). The Committee is an international committee of independent experts whose role is to review the implementation of the Convention in all States which are parties, including the UK. The main tasks of the Committees are to review initial and periodic reports from States on their implementation, review individual communications under the Optional Protocol and to clarify what is required to comply with the Convention through authoritative guidance called “General Comments”. You can find out more about the Committee at this link

Optional Protocol to the Convention

The Optional Protocol to the Convention enables individuals and groups of individuals whose rights under the Convention may have been violated to submit a communication to the Committee once they have “exhausted domestic remedies” (pursued a complaint through the courts or other effective remedies in their country complained of). Where necessary the Committee may request interim measures (immediate steps to avoid or stop a violation) to avoid irreparable harm and it may also launch an inquiry into systematic abuses.