In addition to ALUT, the Israeli organizations ASI, Enosh and Hirayut (Freedoms) took part, as did groups from the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Romania and Norway.
By HANNAH BROWNUpdated: MAY 26, 2021 17:58The United Nations.(photo credit: Wikimedia Commons)
ALUT, the Israeli Society for Children and Adults with Autism, is is one of the organizations that took part Tuesday in a special discussion at the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Geneva on the protection and rights of people with disabilities, during both routine times and in emergency situations.
The committee was convened under the auspices of the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. The discussion is part of a series of online UN regional consultations with people with disabilities, through their representative organizations, with the main theme being the integration of people with disabilities into the community.
In addition to ALUT, the Israeli organizations ASI, Enosh and Hirayut (Freedoms) took part, as did groups from the UK, France, Spain, Italy, Romania and Norway.
Attorney Diana Baron, from ALUT’s Division for the Advancement of Rights and Government Relations, spoke on the importance of anchoring the rights of people with disabilities in legislation, and told the committee about what ALUT has learned during the coronavirus pandemic and the recent military attacks on Israel from Gaza. ALUT layer Diana Baron. (Photo credit: Courtesy Simon Bradley)
In her speech, Baron said: “If the rights are not defined by law, it is much easier to violate them. The coronavirus pandemic has also stressed the need to enact a dedicated law that recognizes the right of people with disabilities to receive welfare and community services to enable them to receive the appropriate support they need to be fully integrated into the community on a regular basis and even more so in times of emergency.”
She went on to detail how much people with autism have suffered due to the recent disruptions from the pandemic and the war.
Following the extreme measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus starting in March 2020, she said, “those who require more assistance than others were further excluded from the community.”
ALUT advocated for these people with government officials, asking for a differential response to the virus, focusing on keeping open or reopening special education, workshops for the disabled and residences for those with special needs.
“COVID-19 forced the families of people with autism who live or study in the community, or attend employment centers, to suddenly become the primary and sole caregivers for their loved ones. This, in turn, has put a strain on the lives and well-being of both people with autism and their families, which has resulted, in many cases, in behavioral regression, and sometimes even physical injuries.
“This recent state of emergency has exacerbated inequalities that already exist in society. It has also highlighted the need for dedicated legislation that guarantees the right of people with disabilities to receive welfare and community services, to allow them to receive the appropriate support they require in order to be included in the community fully and equally,” she said.
