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Children with disabilities

Some 93 million children ─ or 1 in 20 of those aged 14 or younger ─ live with a moderate or severe disability of some kind. Most societies are inaccessible for children with disabilities. Prejudices, negative attitudes, traditions and inadequate knowledge and poor resourcing present obstacles for children with disabilities in accessing their rights.

The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UN CRC) is the foundation for Save the Children work. UN CRC states that children with disability have the same rights as other children. This means that they have the right to grow up in an environment that supports their development, that they have the right to express their opinions, to be heard and that they are entitled to education. The rights of children with disabilities are reinforced in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). States which have signed these conventions are responsible for promoting and fulfilling the rights of all children including children with disabilities.

Article 2 of the UN CRC, which is one of four fundamental principles, prescribes that no one should be discriminated against on the grounds of race, color, sex or disability. However, discrimination and exclusion are common for the majority of people with disability, particularly children. They are often an invisible group in important policies and plans. National policies and plans on education seldom have enough focus on children with disability and their inclusion. Another challenge is that children with disability are often considered as victims and that they lack the capacity to influence their own situation. 

Save the Children advocates for the realization of the rights of children with disability and to ensure that they have the same opportunities, receive proper support and education and that they are empowered to influence their own situation.

Documents (278)

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  1. Improving Access to Quality Basic Education: Unlocking Cambodia's future

    Children in Cambodia are entitled to nine years of free education. However, certain groups of children struggle to access quality education at different stages in their lives. For example, disabled girls and children with intellectual disabilities are two

    Publication year: 2019 Publisher(s): Joining Forces | World Vision International | Save the C ...

  2. Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the right to Liberty and Security

    In her report, the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities provides an overview of the activities undertaken in 2018 and a thematic study on disability-specific forms of deprivation of liberty, in the light of the standards set forth

    Publication year: 2019 Publisher(s): United Nations General Assembly Author(s): Devandas-Aguilar, Catalina

  3. Empowered!: En rapport om funktionshinder, inkludering, och rättigheter

    Human rights are for all, yet people with disabilities are often unable to practice their full rights. Discrimination, unavailability, prejudice, ignorance, and a lack of resources result in many people with disabilities living in poverty with little pros

    Publication year: 2019 Publisher(s): MyRight - Empowering People with Disabilities Author(s): Göller, Charlotta

  4. Take Us Seriously! Engaging Children with Disabilities in Decisions Affecting their Lives

    Despite one of the 9 basic requirements for meaningful and ethical child participation being that it is inclusive, children with disabilities often face barriers to participation in decision making. This might be because of negative attitudes of staff or

    Publication year: 2019 Publisher(s): UNICEF, United Nations Children's Fund

  5. Leaving No One Behind: A Nordic movement for change

    The Nordic countries have a long and proud tradition of cooperation, shared visions and inclusive societies. This is often evident in the international development arena. After the Global Disability Summit in London, July 2018, Nordic disability organisat

    Publication year: 2019 Publisher(s): The Atlas Alliance, Norway | DPOD, Disabled Persons Alliance | ... Author(s): Kroglund, Andrew P.

  6. Innocenti Research Brief: Evidence and gap map research brief

    This Innocenti Research Brief is one in a series of five, each focusing on one of UNICEF’s strategic goal areas for 2021. The series provides an overview of the available evidence on the effectiveness of interventions aiming to improve children’s welfare

    Publication year: 2019 Publisher(s): UNICEF Office of Research – Innocenti | Campbell Collaboration Author(s): White, Howard | Saran, Ashrita

  7. Shaping Health Systems to Include People with Disabilities

    The Sustainable Development Goals and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities demands a shift in health system responses to chronic disease and disability, from the medical management and cure of disability to strengthenin

    Publication year: 2019 Publisher(s): K4D, Knowledge, Evidence, and Learning for Development Author(s): Dean, Laura | Millington, Kerry A. | Thomson, Rachael | Tolhurst, Rachel

  8. We Have a Voice Too: Case study of children with intellectual disabilities contributing to the Norwegian supplementary report on the implementation of UNCRC

    This document provides an overivew of a case study in which Save the Children Norway facilitated a child rights workshop with 13 children and young people with intellectual disabilities, where they contributed with their experiences, opinions and advice r

    Publication year: 2019 Publisher(s): Save the Children Norway

  9. Supporting Children with Disabilities in Family-Based Care

    In this two-part video, you’ll hear from Children in Families ABLE project practitioners, Sorn Sreyny and Lisa Yunker, as they share their experience of making family-based care in Cambodia inclusive for children with disabilities.  In part one, Sreyny an

    Publication year: 2019 Publisher(s): BCN, Better Care Network

  10. Disability Inclusion in Psychosocial Support Programs in Lebanon: Guidance for psychosocial support facilitators

    Disability Inclusion in Psychosocial Support Programs in Lebanon: Guidance for Psychosocial Support Facilitators  is designed to support PSS Facilitators to strengthen inclusion of children and adolescents with disabilities in a range of PSS activities, i

    Publication year: 2018 Publisher(s): Women's Refugee Commission | UNICEF, United Nations Children's Fund

  11. Kabataang Aralin sa Lahat Ibahagi (KASALI) in the Philippines: A study of whether and how children with disabilities are being included in classrooms and early childhood centres

    Kabataang Aralin Sa Lahat Ibahagi (KASALI) Project, 2014 – 2018, has created an opportunity for Save the Children to advocate for (disability) inclusive education (IE) in partnership with the government, civil society, and community stakeholders. KASALI i

    Publication year: 2018 Publisher(s): Save the Children Author(s): Nanwani, Sanjay K.

  12. Budgeting of Pre-school Education for Children with Disabilities in the Municipalities of Elbasan and Korça, Albania

    In 2012, the Ministry of Education and Sports approved the Law “On Pre-University Education” which paves the way for the implementation of inclusive education. Even though 6 years have elapsed since the law has been passed, children with disabilities stil

    Publication year: 2018 Publisher(s): Save the Children Author(s): Kolpeja, Vilma

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