Paralympics are positive, but Chinese disabled people facing discrimination, says MEP

4.31.00pm GMT Mon 8th Sep 2008

While the Paralympics are underway in Beijing showcasing the best in disabled people's sporting ability, reports show that Chinese disabled people are continuing to face an uphill struggle for equality, according to a local Liberal Democrat Euro-MP.

Liz Lynne MEP is Vice President of the European Parliament's Disability Intergroup and has long campaigned on disability issues. She said:

"The Chinese government has made some progress in rights for disabled people, in recently ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and enacting new laws, but so far this has meant little for individuals.

"China's disabled people have long faced engrained discrimination, particularly with regard to being treated equally in employment, where people have been treated disgracefully in the past."

A report by Human Rights Watch last year revealed people with mental disabilities working in slave-like conditions in Shanxi brick kilns which led to hundreds of disabled workers being freed from similar situations by the authorities in the following months. This does however suggest that disabled people are vulnerable to exploitation in the workplace.

Liz continued:

"While this exploitation in the workplace must be dealt with, Chinese disabled people also face a huge struggle in competing for jobs. Government quotas for disabled employees are clearly not helping the nearly one quarter of respondents to a survey across ten cities, who claimed their physical disability had been the reason they were not given a job."

"Things are undoubtedly changing but the Chinese government must not only change things on paper if its disabled people are to be treated fairly and equally."

ENDS

Notes:

Liz Lynne MEP was the European Parliament's rapporteur on the 2005 United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. She continues to campaign for the convention's signing and ratification. The UK has signed the Convention but has yet to ratify it and has failed to sign the vital optional protocol. More information at: http://www.un.org/disabilities/

Liz Lynne MEP was author of the 2007 joint report for the European Parliament on Social Protection, Social Inclusion and Social Reality Stocktaking which was resoundingly adopted by the European Parliament. Please find a link to the report: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A6-2007-0400+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN

Liz Lynne is also campaigning for an end to discrimination in access to goods and services on all grounds not currently covered, including disability. Her report was adopted earlier this year by the European Parliament and contributed to the European Commission's recent proposals for such legislation. It can be viewed here: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/sides/getDoc.do?pubRef=-//EP//TEXT+REPORT+A6-2008-0159+0+DOC+XML+V0//EN&language=EN