Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

List of issues in relation to the initial report of Qatar *

A.Purpose and general obligations (arts.1–4)

Purpose (art. 1)

1.What steps are being taken to amend all laws and introduce into the State party’s legislation a new concept of persons with disabilities that reflects the human rights model of disability, in accordance witharticle 1 of the Convention?

Definitions (art. 2)

2.What measures are being taken to ensure that denial of reasonable accommodation is recognized as a form of disability-based discrimination?

General obligations (art. 4)

3.How is the State party consulting and engaging directly with a diverse range of persons with disabilities,including persons with psychosocial and/or intellectual disabilities and children and adolescents with disabilities, and their independent representative organizations in the development and implementation of legislation and policies and in other decision-making processes that concern them?

B.Specificrights

Equality and non-discrimination (art. 5)

4.What steps are being taken to collect datadisaggregated by age, sex, type of disability and ethnicity on persons with disabilities, including members of migrant families, particularly women, who are victims of abuse, violence and exploitation in order to devise effective strategies and laws to better eliminate these practices?

Women with disabilities (art. 6)

5.What steps have been taken to establish a comprehensive domestic violence protection system, as envisaged in the National Development Strategy 2011–2016?What specific measures are included to respond to the needs of women and girls with disabilities, including ensuring accessible hotlines, shelters, victim support services and training for the police, the judiciary, social workers and health workers on communicating with and providing assistance to victims of violence who are persons with disabilities?

6.In the context of registration procedures under the current law on associations and private organizations (Act No.12 of 2004, as amendedby Act No. 10 of 2010), how does the State party ensure that women with disabilities and autonomous women’s rights organizations across the country are meaningfully consulted and are able to participate in the legislative and political spheres?

Children with disabilities (art. 7)

7.What measures have been taken to continue to support and protect the rights of children with disabilities? What steps are being taken to actively involve and closely consult with children with disabilities in the drafting of laws and development of policies affecting them?

Awareness-raising (art. 8)

8.What steps have been taken to launch and promote awareness-raising initiatives for the general public, persons with disabilities, organizations of persons with disabilities, the mass media, employers and health and educational professionals in order to foster the human rights model of disability?

Accessibility (art. 9)

9.Has the State party adopted an accessibility plan thatcovers all facets of accessibility, including the physical environment and information and communications, in order to eliminate all barriers within a reasonable timeframe and with sanctions for non-compliance?

Equal recognition before the law (art. 12)

10.What steps are being taken to repeal provisions of legislation in the Criminal Code, the Guardianship (Assets of Minors) Act and the Civil Code, among others, in order to abolish substituted decision-making in law and in practice and to introduce supported decision-making?

Access to justice (art. 13)

11.What measures are being taken to ensure that all persons with disabilities can access justice, including by providing accessible information and communications technologies, procedural accommodation such as professional national sign language interpreters for deaf persons participating in court proceedings, and physical accessibility to court premises?

Liberty and security of the person (art. 14)

12.What steps are being taken to prohibit the impairment-based detention of children and adults with disabilities, including involuntary hospitalization and forced placement in institutions?

Freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (art. 15) and protecting the integrity of the person (art. 17)

13.Please provide additional information about the genomic research carried out at the Shafallah Centre, in particular concerning autistic spectrum disorder, epilepsy and intellectual disabilities.

14.How are women and girls with disabilities protected against forced sterilization?

Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse (art. 16)

15.Has the State party conducted an audit to determine whether the shelters and hotlines that are available are accessible and sufficient in number and location to create comprehensive, accessible remedies and protective programmes to effectively address cases of violence?

Liberty of movement and nationality (art. 18)

16.How does the State party ensure that detention/deportation centres are accessible to and provide reasonable accommodation for migrant workers with disabilities?

Living independently and being included in the community (art. 19)

17.Does the State party make personal assistance services available to persons with disabilities in order to ensure their participation in the community? What are the eligibility criteria for being granted personal assistance, and what standards are in place to ensure the autonomy of persons with disabilities?

Personal mobility (art. 20)

18.Please provide information on how persons with disabilities can exercise their right to mobility in the State party.

Respect for privacy (art. 22)

19.Please indicate which criteria “interested parties” must fulfil in order to access confidential information on or relating to persons with disabilities, especially children with disabilities, from the Ministry of Social Affairs and the Shafallah Centre, and whether these criteria guarantee full respect for privacy.

Respect for home and the family (art. 23)

20.Please indicate how persons with disabilities are protected against discrimination on the basis of genetic or other impairment in relation to marriage and other family rights.

21.What measures are being taken to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, and medical insurance?

Education (art. 24)

22.What new measures have been implemented for the inclusive education of persons with disabilities at all levels of learning in the State party, as well as in its international development initiatives in Asia?

23.Please indicate what measures are being taken to analyse and immediately reverse the recent decrease in the enrolment of children with disabilities, especially girls, in school.

Health (art. 25)

24.Do all persons with disabilities, including persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, regardless of their guardianship status, exercise their right to free and informed consent? Can guardians or third parties take decisions related to health care on behalf of persons with disabilities?

25.What steps are being taken to train all health professionals on the rights of persons with disabilities, including the right to free and informed consent, and on communicating with persons with disabilities?

Habilitation and rehabilitation (art. 26)

26.Please provide information on the steps taken to ensure that rehabilitation services are fully available to all persons with disabilities of all ages.

Work and employment (art. 27)

27.What steps have been taken to promote the employment of persons with disabilities in the open labour market? Please include information on the measures taken to increase vocational training for persons with disabilities and training for employers on reasonable accommodation, and on the availability of subsidies to render workplaces accessible.

28.How does the State party ensure that persons with disabilities are able to exercise their labour and trade union rights on an equal basis with others and to access grievance mechanisms in cases of complaints?

Adequate standard of living and social protection (art. 28)

29.Please provide detailed information on the specific measures taken to improve the social protection of persons with disabilities, including older adults with disabilities?

30.Please provide information on the situation of migrants who have acquired a disability after an accident while living in the State party, and indicate whether they have access to social assistance and benefits from the State on the grounds of disability.

Participation in political and public life (art. 29)

31.Please provide additional details on the measures taken to ensure that all persons with disabilities, including those with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, can exercise their right to vote and participate in political and public life.

Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport (art. 30)

32.Please provide information on the steps taken to recognize and promote the participation in cultural life of persons with disabilities in terms of access to cultural materials and cultural activities.

C.Special obligations

Statistics and data collection (art. 31)

33.Please provide information on the steps being taken to establish a database that enables the State party to fulfil its obligations under the Convention. Please provide information on the collection of data in all areas that are disaggregated by sex, age, type of disability, ethnicity and migrant status.

International cooperation (art. 32)

34.What steps is the State party taking to ensure inclusive and accessible international cooperation and development assistance by consulting organizations of persons with disabilities in target countries?

National implementation and monitoring (art. 33)

35.What steps are being taken to designate a focal point pursuant to article 33 (1) of the Convention and an independent mechanism pursuant to article 33 (2) to monitor implementation of the Convention in compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (Paris Principles)?