UN Concludes Britain Guilty of Human Rights Abuses

Author: Paul Dodenhoff
Published: 2016/11/08 - Updated: 2024/12/31
Publication Type: Opinion Piece, Editorial
Topic: European Disability News - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: This article "UN Concludes Britain Guilty of Human Rights Abuses" on Disabled World reports on a 2016 United Nations investigation that found the UK government responsible for "grave and systematic violations" of disabled individuals' human rights. The UN Committee's findings highlight that welfare reforms, justified by austerity measures, disproportionately impacted disabled persons by reducing benefits and increasing sanctions, thereby restricting their independence and access to employment. Despite evidence of these adverse effects, the UK continued its policies, exacerbating the challenges faced by the disabled community - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

On 7^th November 2016, a UN report concluded that Britain is indeed guilty of grave and systemic violations of the human rights of disabled people. Its final report concludes:

Focus

"...the Committee considers that there is reliable evidence that the threshold of grave or systematic violations of the rights of persons with disabilities has been met in the State party. That conclusion is based on the following findings"

• "The State party has implemented a policy aimed at reforming its welfare system and the reforms have been justified in the context of austerity measures to achieve fiscal and budgetary policy consolidation".
• "The assumptions made under the policy include that: taxpayers need to be treated with fairness; large numbers of persons with disabilities have been relying and dependent on social benefits; persons are better off in work than on benefits; the dependency of persons with disabilities on benefits is in itself a disincentive to move them into employment; the number of persons with disabilities relying on social benefits were to be decreased; and tightening sanctions and conditionality of social benefits is a legitimate tool for incentivizing their moving into employment".
• "The impact assessments conducted by the State party prior to the implementation of several measures of its welfare reform expressly foresaw an adverse impact on persons with disabilities".
• "Several measures have disproportionally and adversely affected the rights of persons with disabilities"
• "The core elements of the rights to independent living and being included in the community, an adequate standard of living and social protection and their right to employment have been affected: persons with disabilities affected by policy changes have had their freedom of choice and control over their daily activities restricted, the extra cost of disability has been set aside and income protection has been curtailed as a result of benefit cuts, while the expected policy goal of achieving decent and stable employment is far from being attained"
• "There is evidence that a large number of persons with disabilities have been affected (e.g. 13,900 persons with disabilities have lost their Motability schemes and therefore their adapted cars, upon implementation of Personal Independence Payment up to February 2016; 492,180 had been placed in the Employment and Support Allowance work-related activity group by end of 2015; 41,792 Employment and Support Allowance work-related activity group sanctions were handed out up to March 2014)".
• "Evidence gathered nationally by the Parliament, the independent monitoring framework, universities and research institutes and centers and independent experts, has documented adverse and disproportionate effects of measures on persons with disabilities"
• "The State party has not conducted a comprehensive human rights-based cumulative impact assessment even though reliable sources have indicated it is feasible"
• "The State party continues its policy of reducing social benefits of persons with disabilities as reflected in the Welfare Reform and Work Act 2016".

That last point of this unprecedented report is perhaps the most disgusting one

Despite the knowledge concerning the damage that its program of welfare changes were causing, the UK government continues on its human rights abuses of disabled people. Seemingly without much obvious regret and certainly without any indication that the brakes on such abuses are going to be applied any time soon.

So, let's be clear about what the UN are actually saying in this report

Britain's government believes that disabled people are far too dependent upon welfare benefits, and that this dependency is an actual 'disincentive' to finding employment. Therefore, in order to motivate disabled people back into work, the government is deliberately reducing access to state welfare and using 'sanctions' as a 'legitimate' tool for simply motivating people off their bums. DELIBERATE and INTENTIONAL acts, solely intended to shock disabled people back into work, even if those people are not fit or capable of sustaining such a job. A policy of sink or swim, and one based upon an ideological notion that Britain is suffering from a declining work ethic within its population.

But what is really shocking about this episode, is that in an modern society which is one of the top 10 richest economies of the world, its government is displaying attitudes towards disabled people that are not only biased and prejudiced, but based upon unfounded assumptions that the majority of disabled people are either exaggerating their disability or faking it completely. It's an assumption so historically deep-rooted from the inception of Britain's 'poor laws' in the early 1600's, that people needing financial assistance on the basis of disability have always faced a certain amount of political suspicion that their disabilities were faked. Suspicion that often legitimates increasingly harsh rules over charitable and state support.

So, what is the UN going to do about it now?

Well, nothing really, the UN has no power to enforce its multitude of recommendations. Perhaps one reason why the UK government seems completely determined to carry on with its deliberate and intentional violation of the human rights of disabled people - in spite of the UN's intervention. For example, only last week did Damian Green, the Government's 'new' Work and Pensions Secretary, launch yet another consultation paper on disability and sickness benefits. Minister Green launched this new welfare review by happily announcing that work is better for people's health than "sitting at home living on benefits". So, not exactly an indication of a change of mind, heart or direction, and I'm under no doubt that disabled people will continue to be highly pressurized by this despotic regime into finding work or returning to work, long before they are capable in doing so. With some being pressured, even to the point of death.

So, what exactly, can we do?

First, let's be clear the UN have found that systemic human rights abuses have unprecedently been committed within a country that not only sets itself up as one of the world's greatest societies within the 'free' and 'democratic' world, but one that often argues that it occupies the moral high ground on almost every issue known to mankind. The world's policeman/woman. However, that image of morality has taken a massive hit now, and will continue to so until disabled people are free from this state inspired 'witch-hunt', and one that views all disabled people as layabouts, spongers and scroungers.

Secondly, with the UN practically powerless to halt the UK's debauchery and head-long, continuous march into fascism, the only way the UK will halt its human rights abuses is arguably when other countries pressurize them to do so. With Britain and its government still reeling over 'Brexit', concerns over trade deals may be the perfect opportunity to formally or informally put pressure upon the UK to cease its violation of disabled people's human rights. Let's hope that countries in such a position to do so, have enough morality about them, in order to put a little 'heat' upon the UK on this matter. Without that pressure, it is highly unlikely that the UK will backtrack on human rights abuses that it normally wastes no time in castigating other nations for - when it suits.

Author Credentials: British born Paul Dodenhoff, is a regular contributor of UK disability related news and content. Paul has always taken an interest in disability issues, and writes for Disabled-World trying to highlight issues that don't always get a great deal of attention from Britain's popular media. Paul Dodenhoff completed a part-time Open University Bachelor of Science degree in Social Problems, Health and Social Welfare; graduating at the Guild Hall, Preston, United Kingdom. He also gained a part-time Master of Arts degree in Research Methodology in 2003 with the Open University; graduating at the UNESCO headquarters, Paris. Explore Paul's complete biography for comprehensive insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.