The human rights of children with disabilities: How can medical professionals better fulfil rather than breach them?

Abstract

The vulnerability of children with disabilities to human rights abuses, including in health care, is well documented. Medical professionals can too often breach rather than fulfil the rights of children with disabilities, often through misunderstandings about the law, an inevitable consequence of, as identified by the United Nation's Committee for the Rights of the Child, medical professionals too often not receiving systematic and effective training in children's rights. This paper explores some key rights vital to the health and well-being of children with disabilities and shows how the guidance known as General Comments published by the United Nation's Committee on the Rights of the Child can assist medical professionals in ensuring the rights of children with disabilities in their care are fulfilled. It will also outline the human rights model of disability and explain how adopting this model in day-to-day practice, as required by international law, will empower medical professionals to help fulfil the human rights of children with disabilities. Suggestions are also made as to how training in human rights for medical professionals might be facilitated. What this paper adds: The rights of children with disabilities are wide-ranging and come from multiple sources. Education and training of medical professionals in the rights of children with disabilities is often poor and low priority, resulting in rights breaches. Partnership training and gaining familiarity with United Nations General Comments and the Human Rights Model of disability can promote the human rights of children with disabilities.