Lessons From a Global Analysis of the UN Conventions on Children and Disability Rights

Abstract

Among the 6.7 billion people in the world, there are 2.2 billion children, of which 1 billion live in poverty. This study looks at the rights of children with disabilities and how vulnerable populations can be protected. The UN (2009) identifies several obstacles to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law, including: “deepening poverty; threats to human security; the infringements of individual rights and impediments to the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms”. The author used a cumulative logit model for ordinal responses, in particular proportional odds model, to look at whether states with a higher degree of democratization and a higher level of human development are less likely to ratify the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child and on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The analysis finds statistically significant relationships for multiple variables. Here are selected general conclusions: (1) as the widest ratified human rights treaties, the CRC and CRPD have profound implications on understanding how the states’ development and democratization impact how they sign and ratify treaties; (2) different indices have different effects on each of the conventions, without contradicting each other, meaning that governments perceive and treat Conventions distinctly; (3) the date of ratification, rather than the date of signature, is much more reflective of the state’s democratization and development levels; and (4) the world is in need for a reconceptualization and recontextualization of children and disability policies, redefining concepts like equity, empowerment, social enterprise, and inclusive development to include these disempowered populations.



Author Information
Gabriela Walker, National University, United States

Paper Information
Conference: IICEHawaii2020
Stream: Education

This paper is part of the IICEHawaii2020 Conference Proceedings (View)
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To cite this article:
Walker G. (2020) Lessons From a Global Analysis of the UN Conventions on Children and Disability Rights ISSN: 2189-1036 – The IAFOR International Conference on Education – Hawaii 2020 Official Conference Proceedings https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2020.28
To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.22492/issn.2189-1036.2020.28


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Posted by James Alexander Gordon