Ways Forward
For women and girls with disabilities, discrimination is compounded on the grounds of
gender, disability, age, and minority status, among others. Using all human rights
instruments and mobilizing different human rights communities to achieve the goal of
equality for all is needed, and is in fact the logical course of action. This section offers
suggestions for ways forward by providing a summary of Concluding Observations
from treaty bodies on women and girls with disabilities as well as recommendations
from activities and processes of the CHR in collaboration with civil society groups.
International Monitoring of the Rights of Filipino Women with Disabilities: Concluding
Observations from the CEDAW, ICESCR and the Outcome of the UPR
The Concluding Observations provides guidance on moving forward. They are from
human rights treaty bodies and is the result of a process of review and monitoring by
treaty Committees on States parties’ compliance with human rights. It identifies
obstacles faced by States parties in their compliance with human rights as well specific
human rights concerns to help set national priorities.
The CEDAW Committee released its Concluding Comments on the seventh and eight
periodic report of the Philippines in July 2016, the Committee on ICESCR its Concluding
Observations on the fifth and sixth report in October 2016, and the Draft Report of the
Working Group on the UPR for the 3rd cycle of reporting of the Philippines in May 2017.
The following is the summary of themes and corresponding recommendations of
Concluding Observations recently issued by the CEDAW, ICESCR and the UPR.
The 2016 CEDAW Concluding Comments highlighted specific concerns and provided
recommendations concerning women with disabilities on the following thematic
issues: access to justice, gender-based violence, participation in political and public
life, and education particularly on sexual and reproductive health rights.
The Committee on ICESCR explicitly mentioned specific issues of persons with
disabilities and/or women with disabilities and gave recommendations in the following
thematic concerns: data collection, unemployment and underemployment, violence
against women and girls, poverty, right to housing, and right to education. The
Committee underscored in their 2016 Concluding Observations the discrimination
faced by persons with disability. The Committee noted with concern that –
“...persons with disabilities continue to face discrimination in their enjoyment of the
Covenant rights owing to a lack of reasonable accommodation and personal
assistance services, and that the accessibility provided for in domestic laws is
limited to physical accessibility. Public spending for persons with disabilities
appears insufficient and that situation is bound to worsen with the removal from
the most recent budget, under the General Appropriations Act 2016, of the 1 per
cent budget allocation of all governmental agencies for disability-related
programs and services, granted under Presidential Proclamation No. 240 of
2004 (art. 2 (2))
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