Part II The law: International human rights law and disability
Section I Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
• Access to justice (article 13), including through “the provision of procedural and age-appropriate
accommodations in order to facilitate their effective role as direct and indirect participants,
including as witnesses, in all legal proceedings, including at investigative and other preliminary
stages”.
Intersecting identities
Women with disabilities (article 6): The preamble to the UN CRPD highlights that “women and girls
with disabilities are often at greater risk, both within and outside the home, of violence, injury or abuse,
neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation” and emphasises “the need to incorporate
a gender perspective in all efforts to promote the full enjoyment of human rights and fundamental
freedoms by persons with disabilities”. Article 6 explicitly requires States parties to take measures to
protect, promote and ensure the rights of women and girls with disabilities.
Children with disabilities (article 7): Article 7 creates a bridge between the UN CRPD and the
Convention on the Rights of the Child, reinforcing the principle that “the best interests of the child
shall be a primary consideration” in decisions that concern them and stating clearly that “children with
disabilities have the right to express their views freely on all matters affecting them, their views being
given due weight in accordance with their age and maturity, on an equal basis with other children”.
Woman working in Dong Nai, Vietnam. Photo by ILO/A. Nguyen, reproduced under a CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 licence
Chapter 3: Overview of the purpose, content and structure of the Convention | 45