People with disabilities still not equal in Dutch society: Human Rights College
People with disabilities in the Netherlands still cannot participate equally in society across work, education, health care, and social life, according to a new report by the College for the Rights of the Human Person, NOS reports. The findings are based on a survey of more than 1,800 respondents and come 10 years after the Netherlands signed the U.N. disability rights convention.
The report says about one in four respondents feel they do not matter in society. Half say they take part in fewer social activities than they would like.
Access to services remains a major barrier. One-third of respondents say they have serious difficulty obtaining appropriate care or assistance. In education, one in four report that institutions do not make enough adjustments for them to properly follow their studies. More than one in four respondents also report unequal opportunities in the labor market.
Financial insecurity is widespread. More than one-third of respondents worry about their future financial situation. The report says these concerns include fears about benefit reductions, rising health care costs, changes to allowances, and the cost of assistive devices.
The report describes a broader pattern of exclusion in which barriers reinforce each other across different areas of life.
Rick Lawson, chair of the College for the Rights of the Human Person, said that while progress has been made, it remains insufficient.
“After 10 years of the U.N. disability convention, we see that the ambitions of the treaty are still not sufficiently visible in the daily lives of people with disabilities,” Lawson told NOS. “This is also evident from criticism by the U.N., which is concerned, among other things, about the high risk of poverty among people with disabilities.”
“The government must ensure that the rights of people with disabilities move forward, not backward,” he added.
