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Taking economic and social rights earnestly: What does international human rights law offer persons with disabilities in situations of armed conflict?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2022

Gauthier de Beco
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Abstract

This article studies the economic and social rights of people with disabilities in times of armed conflict. While hostilities prevent them from accessing the essential goods and services that they rely on to enjoy these rights, the topic has attracted little attention to date. Calling upon international human rights law, the article applies the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with a view to complementing the provisions of international humanitarian law. It focuses on the requirements above the provision of medical care and examines the legal obligations attached to economic and social rights.

Keywords

Persons with disabilitieseconomic and social rightsgoods and servicesConvention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilitieslegal obligations
Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of the Red Cross , Volume 105 , Issue 922: Persons with disabilities in armed conflict , April 2023 , pp. 306 - 322
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the ICRC.

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Footnotes

The advice, opinions and statements contained in this article are those of the author/s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the ICRC. The ICRC does not necessarily represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other information provided in this article.

References

1 International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), United Nations (UN) General Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI), 16 December 1966 (entered into force 3 January 1976).

2 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/61/106, 13 December 2006 (entered into force 3 May 2008).

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8 International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), UN General Assembly Resolution 2200A (XXI), 16 December 1966 (entered into force 23 March 1976), Art. 4(1).

9 Müller, Amrei, “Limitations to and Derogations from Economic, Social and Cultural Rights”, Human Rights Law Review, Vol. 9, No. 4, 2009, pp. 591–4Google Scholar.

10 Geneva Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949, 75 UNTS 287 (entered into force 21 October 1950) (GC IV), Art. 16.

11 GC IV, Arts 17 and 19.

12 Jean-Marie Henckaerts and Louise Doswald-Beck (eds), Customary International Humanitarian Law, Vol. 1: Rules, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2005 (International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Customary Law Study), Rules 25 and 110, available at: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/customary-ihl/eng/docs/v1 (all internet references were accessed in November 2022). See also Rules 28 and 29.

13 GC IV, Art. 39.

14 GC IV, Arts 24 and 50.

15 G. Giacca, above note 6, pp. 166–7.

16 E. Mottershaw, above note 6, pp. 456–7.

17 ICESCR, Arts 11, 12 and 13.

18 G. Giacca, above note 6, p. 181.

19 E. Riedel, above note 6, p. 466.

20 See Michelle Cullen, “Ukrainian Woman Says People with Disabilities ‘Left Behind’ After ‘Almost Impossible’ Journey Across the Border”, Irish Mirror, 2 March 2022, available at: www.irishmirror.ie/news/irish-news/ukrainian-woman-says-people-disabilities-26370327.

21 See, inter alia, Rebecca Thomas and May Bulman, “Millions with Disabilities ‘Abandoned’ in Ukraine, Charities Fear”, Independent, 8 March 2022, available at: www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/learning-disabilities-refugees-ukraine-invasion-b2029894.html; Liz Plank, “Humanitarian Efforts Aren't Doing Enough to Evacuate Ukrainians with Disabilities”, MSNBC, 8 March 2022, available at: www.msnbc.com/opinion/msnbc-opinion/ukraine-s-most-vulnerable-refugees-are-against-more-just-russia-n1291106; Theresa Vargas, “From Ukrainians with Disabilities Comes a Desperate Plea: ‘We Have No Chance Without Help’”, Washington Post, 9 March 2022, available at: www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/09/disabled-ukrainians-desperate-plea; Catarina Demony, “Fate of Ukrainians with Disabilities a ‘Crisis Within a Crisis’”, Reuters, 11 March 2022, available at: www.reuters.com/world/fate-ukrainians-with-disabilities-crisis-within-crisis-2022-03-11.

22 See Milan Šveřepa, “100 Days: Ukrainians with Intellectual Disabilities and their Families Surviving the War”, Inclusion Europe, 4 June 2022, available at: www.inclusion-europe.eu/100-days-people-intellectual-disabilities-ukraine.

23 CEDAW, General Comment No. 30 on Women in Conflict Prevention, Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations, UN Doc. CEDAW/C/GC/30, 1 November 2013, paras 48 to 52.

24 Handicap International, Unshielded, Unseen: The Implementation of UNSC Resolution 2475 on the Protection of Persons with Disabilities in Armed Conflict in Yemen, May 2022, pp. 8 and 12, available at: https://assets.nationbuilder.com/handicapinternational/pages/6066/attachments/original/1653336082/HI_Case_study_Resolution_2475_YEMEN_2022_opt.pdf?1653336082.

25 Protocol Additional (I) to the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949, and Relating to the Protection of Victims of International Armed Conflicts, 1125 UNTS 3, 8 June 1977 (entered into force 7 December 1978) (AP I), Art. 54(2).

26 GC IV, Art. 18.

27 Handicap International, above note 24, p. 10; Alice Priddy, Disability and Armed Conflict, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, April 2019, p. 12, available at: www.geneva-academy.ch/joomlatools-files/docman-files/Academy%20Briefing%2014-interactif.pdf.

28 Human Rights Watch, “It Was Really Hard to Protect Myself”: Impact of the Armed Conflict in Syria on Children with Disabilities, September 2022, pp. 18–19, available at: www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2022/09/syria0922_web.pdf.

29 AP I, Art. 54(2).

30 G. Giacca, above note 6, pp. 210–13.

31 Pons, William I., Lord, Janet E. and Stein, Michael Ashley, “Disability, Human Rights Violations, and Crimes Against Humanity”, American Journal of International Law, Vol. 116, No. 1, 2022, p. 70CrossRefGoogle Scholar.

32 ICRC Customary Law Study, above note 12, Rule 56.

33 G. Giacca, above note 6, p. 106.

34 See Human Rights Watch, “Cameroon: People With Disabilities Caught in Crisis”, 5 August 2009, available at: www.hrw.org/news/2019/08/05/cameroon-people-disabilities-caught-crisis.

35 Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Gerard Quinn, UN Doc. A/76/146, 19 July 2021, para. 34.

36 ICESCR, Art. 2(2). The CESCR has subsequently confirmed that “other status” encompasses disability. CESCR, General Comment No. 5, Persons with Disabilities, UN Doc. E/1995/22, 9 December 1994, para. 5.

37 GC IV, Arts 16 and 18; ICRC Customary Law Study, above note 12, Rule 138.

38 Lord, Janet E., “Persons with Disabilities in International Humanitarian Law – Paternalism, Protectionism or Rights?”, in Gill, Michael and Schlund-Vials, Cathy J. (eds), Disability, Human Rights and the Limits of Humanitarianism, Routledge, London, 2014, p. 160Google Scholar.

39 Human Rights Watch, “Submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities regarding Persons with Disabilities in the Context of Armed Conflict”, 8 June 2021, pp. 3–4, available at: www.hrw.org/sites/default/files/media_2021/06/Protection%20of%20Persons%20with%20Disabilities%20in%20Armed%20Conflict.pdf.

40 Human Rights Watch, above note 28, pp. 34–5.

41 Ibid., pp. 30–1.

42 Ibid., p. 15.

43 Hart, Naomi, Crock, Mary, Mccallum, Ron and Saul, Ben, “Making Every Life Count: Ensuring Equality and Protection for Persons with Disabilities in Armed Conflicts”, Monash University Law Review, Vol. 40, No. 1, 2014, p. 162Google Scholar.

44 ICESCR, Art. 12; CRPD, Art. 25.

45 G. Giacca, above note 6, p. 178.

46 GC IV, Art. 55(1).

47 ICRC Customary Law Study, above note 12, Rule 110.

48 ICRC, Commentary on GC IV, 1958, p. 309, available at: https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/Comment.xsp?action=openDocument&documentId=B11A237E0C281E5DC12563CD0042C7FF.

49 CESCR, General Comment No. 14, The Right to the Highest Attainable Standard of Health (Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), UN Doc. E/C.12/2000/4, 11 August 2000, paras 16 and 40.

50 CRPD, Art. 25(b).

51 ICESCR, Art. 11(1); CRPD, Art. 28(1).

52 GC IV, Art. 55(1).

53 ICRC, above note 48, p. 309.

54 CESCR, General Comment No. 12, The Right to Adequate Food (Art. 11), UN Doc. E/C.12/1999/5, 12 May 1999, para. 38.

55 CESCR, General Comment No. 15, The Right to Water (Arts. 11 and 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights), UN Doc. E/C.12/2002/11, 20 January 2003, para. 22.

56 Ibid., para. 16. Although disability is implicitly covered by the Covenant's general non-discrimination clause, the Committee omitted to mention explicitly persons with disabilities, which confirms its lack of awareness of their situation.

57 CRPD, Art. 28(2)(a) and (c).

58 ICESCR, Art. 13; Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), UN General Assembly Resolution 44/25, 20 November 1989 (entered into force 2 September 1990), Art. 28. The CRC applies in the context of an armed conflict especially through its Article 32, which deals with their protection from such conflict. Its standards are further raised by the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict.

59 CRPD, Art. 24.

60 GC IV, Art. 50(1).

61 Ibid.

62 CRC Committee, Day of General Discussion on “The Right of the Child to Education in Emergency Situations”. Recommendations, Report on the Forty-ninth Session, UN Doc. CRC/C/49/3, 15 September–3 October 2008, para. 73.

63 G. Giacca, above note 6, p. 97.

64 CRC Committee, General Comment No. 9, The Rights of Children with Disabilities, UN Doc. CRC/C/GC/9, 27 February 2007, para. 78.

65 CRPD Committee, General Comment No. 4 on the Right to Inclusive Education, UN Doc. CRPD/C/GC/4, 25 November 2016, para. 14.

66 N. Hart et al., above note 43, p. 149.

67 CRPD, Art. 11.

68 IASC, Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action, July 2019, pp. 83–139, available at: https://reliefweb.int/attachments/ebc305c6-9252-3412-8ddd-2695ece185af/iasc_guidelines_on_the_inclusion_of_persons_with_disabilities_in_humanitarian_action_2019.pdf.

69 The responsibility of NSAGs is beyond the remit of the present article. NSAGs cannot adhere to human rights treaties although they can be encouraged to abide by IHRL. UN treaty bodies are in any event not competent to deal with such actors. E. Riedel, above note 6, p. 455.

70 G. Giacca, above note 6, p. 119.

71 ICESCR, Art. 2(1). The CRPD similarly provides that “[w]ith regard to economic, social and cultural rights, each State Party undertakes to take measures to the maximum of its available resources … with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of these rights” (CRPD, Art. 4(2)).

72 CESCR, General Comment No. 3, The Nature of State Parties Obligations (Art. 2, para. 1 of the Covenant), UN Doc. E/1991/23, 14 December 1990, para. 9.

73 Ibid.

74 Saul, Ben, Kinley, David and Mowbray, Jacqueline, The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights: Commentary, Cases, and Materials, Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2014, p. 147Google Scholar.

75 “Maastricht Guidelines on Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights”, Human Rights Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 3, 1998, para. 11.

76 CRPD, Art. 5(3). In the terms of Article 2 of the CRPD, this obligation involves “adjustments not imposing a disproportionate or undue burden”, so that persons with disabilities can exercise their rights on an equal footing with other individuals.

77 CESCR, above note 36, para. 15.

78 ICESCR, Art. 4.

79 A. Müller, above note 9, p. 593.

80 Ibid., pp. 581–3.

81 ICESCR, Art. 4.

82 E. Riedel, above note 6, p. 463.

83 N. Hart et al., above note 43, pp. 158–9.

84 CESCR, General Comment No. 13, The Right to Education (Article 13 of the Covenant), UN Doc. E/C.12/1999/10, 8 December 1999, para 57.

85 CEDAW, above note 23, para. 52(a).

86 CRC Committee, above note 62, paras 35–36 and 46.

87 Report of the Special Rapporteur, above note 35, para. 29.