Freedom from Exploitation, Abuse and Neglect

The Universal Declaration on Human Rights (the Universal Declaration) was adopted by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in 1948.

Australia was a founding member of the UN and played a prominent role in the negotiation of the UN Charter in 1945. Australia was also one of eight nations involved in drafting the Universal Declaration.

Australia has remained a supporter of human rights throughout international treaty negotiations. Australia has ratified almost all of the major international human rights instruments.

In 2008 Australia ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Why do we need a convention for persons with disabilities?

Don’t people with disabilities have the same rights as everyone else?

The rights outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, in perfect world, would be enough to protect everyone.

But in practice certain groups have fared far worse than others and international conventions are in place to protect and promote the human rights of these groups, including around 650 million individuals, or around 10 per cent of people, in the world living with disabilities.