Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
List of issues in relation to the initial report of Singapore *
A.Purpose and general obligations (arts. 1–4)
1.Please inform the Committee about the measures taken to:
(a)Ensure the incorporation of the Convention into the domestic legal system, harmonize the concept of disability in legislation, policy and guidelines, including in the Enabling Masterplan, with the human rights model of disability enshrined in the Convention and elaborated in the Committee’s general comment No. 6 (2018) on equality and non-discrimination, and move away from the medical or charity models of disability;
(b)Harmonize the definition of disability and assessment and certification mechanisms across the various laws, in accordance with the Convention, to protect the rights of all persons, including any groups that are currently excluded, such as persons with psychosocial disabilities;
(c)Abolish derogatory terminology in laws and policies, such as “persons of unsound mind”;
(d)Repeal laws, such as the Prisons Act, the Internal Security (Detained Persons) Rules, the Infectious Diseases Act and the Railways Act, that contribute to discriminatory treatment and attitudes towards persons affected by leprosy.
2.Please indicate the measures taken to:
(a)Implement the Incheon Strategy to “Make the Right Real” for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific;
(b)Ensure the close consultation and active participation of persons with disabilities, through their representative organizations, in the development and implementation of laws and policies to implement the Convention;
(c)Promote the training of professionals and staff working with persons with disabilities in the rights recognized in the Convention.
3.Please provide information on the steps taken to:
(a)Withdraw the reservations to articles 12 (4), 25 (e) and 29 (a) (iii);
(b)Ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention, including a corresponding time frame.
B.Specific rights (arts. 5–30)
Equality and non-discrimination (art. 5)
4.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Prohibit all forms of discrimination on the basis of disability in national laws, particularly in article 12 of the Constitution;
(b)Guarantee equal and effective legal protection for persons with disabilities against multiple and intersectional discrimination on all grounds;
(c)Prevent and eliminate multiple and intersectional discrimination on the grounds of disability, age, sex, ethnicity, religion, language, nationality or migration status, taking account of general comment No. 6.
Women with disabilities (art. 6)
5.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Include a disability perspective in gender equality policies and plans, and a gender perspective in specific plans and policies for women with disabilities; eliminate intersectional and multiple discrimination against women and girls with disabilities, especially those belonging to ethnic and linguistic minorities, women who are affected by leprosy, and migrant women; and promote the empowerment and development of women with disabilities in all spheres of life, including education and employment;
(b)Improve access for women with disabilities to reproductive and sexual health care and awareness programmes, in particular for women with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities.
Children with disabilities (art. 7)
6.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Provide appropriate care for the physical and psychological support of children with disabilities in the community and ensure that children with disabilities, including children affected by leprosy and children with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, are not left behind;
(b)Fulfil the right of children with disabilities to express their views freely on all matters affecting them.
Awareness-raising (art. 8)
7.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Promote awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities based on the human rights model of disability;
(b)Eliminate stereotypes, prejudices and harmful practices against persons with disabilities, particularly persons affected by leprosy and persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, in all aspects of life among the general population;
(c)Raise awareness among parents and families of children with disabilities and persons with disabilities about the rights of persons with disabilities, and actively involve persons with disabilities in the development of such initiatives.
Accessibility (art. 9)
8.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Guarantee full accessibility for persons with disabilities, particularly of transportation, buildings and other facilities and services open or provided to the public; please provide an update on the implementation of the 10-year Barrier-Free Accessibility Upgrading Programme (2007–2016) and the development of the new programme, including all steps to consult and actively involve persons with disabilities;
(b)Promote access to information and communications, including information and communications technology, for persons with disabilities.
Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies (art. 11)
9.Please provide information on the measures taken to implement the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, and to:
(a)Ensure the participation and consultation of organizations of persons with disabilities in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of disaster risk reduction strategies and policies;
(b)Strengthen humanitarian protection and response for persons with disabilities during emergencies;
(c)Set up accessible warning systems and provide official information about emergency services in accessible formats.
Equal recognition before the law (art. 12)
10.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Amend any laws that restrict the legal capacity of persons with disabilities, including the Criminal Procedure Code, the Mental Capacity Act and the Prisons Act, so as to harmonize them with the Convention;
(b)Recognize, particularly with respect to persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities or those with high support needs, that persons with disabilities enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others in all aspects of life;
(c)Abolish the guardianship model of substituted decision-making and replace it with supported decision-making models; please indicate the number of persons that remain under full or partial guardianship and those whose legal capacity has been fully reinstated, and how this information is used to inform the development of supported decision-making systems.
Access to justice (art. 13)
11.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Guarantee the provision of gender- and age-appropriate procedural accommodation and physical and communication accessibility, including sign language interpreters, for persons with disabilities, particularly women with disabilities and persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, in psychiatric hospitals and in legal proceedings to ensure their full access to the justice system;
(b)Ensure that persons with disabilities have full access to the justice system as professionals, witnesses and jurors and are not underrepresented in the legal profession;
(c)Provide appropriate training on the rights enshrined in the Convention for the personnel and officials working in the judicial system and law enforcement agencies to ensure effective access to justice for persons with disabilities;
(d)Provide appropriate procedural accommodation to ensure that the right of persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities facing the death penalty to a fair trial is fulfilled.
Liberty and security of the person (art. 14)
12.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Amend the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) Act to prohibit deprivation of liberty and forced treatment on the basis of intellectual or psychosocial disability;
(b)Ensure that any medical treatment is based on the free and informed consent of the persons with disabilities concerned;
(c)Abolish the practice of institutionalization without consent of persons with disabilities, especially persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, including the establishment of independent monitoring and review systems.
Freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (art. 15)
13.Please provide information on the measures taken to ensure that persons with disabilities are protected from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, including involuntary treatment and injuries caused as a result thereof, in all settings, particularly in prisons.
Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse (art. 16)
14.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Prevent and combat exploitation, violence and abuse of persons with disabilities, including domestic and sexual violence and neglect;
(b)Provide the necessary physical and psychological care and recovery services to victims;
(c)Raise awareness among persons with disabilities, judicial officers and the general public about the rights of persons with disabilities, particularly persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, and how to detect situations of abuse and where to seek assistance, and create a safe environment for the reporting, investigation and prosecution of such cases;
(d)Ensure that persons with psychosocial disabilities who have been subjected to forced psychiatric treatment can seek redress, and establish accountability mechanisms.
15.Please provide information on the steps taken to develop a comprehensive legal framework to protect women and girls with disabilities, including those with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, against all forms of violence, exploitation and abuse. Please provide data, disaggregated by age, gender and disability, related to the number of reported cases of violence and abuse against women and girls with disabilities over the past two years.
16.Please provide information on the Vulnerable Adults Act, the Standards of Care for Adult Disability Homes and Hostels and the Board of Visitors, and on how they protect persons with disabilities from violations of their rights.
Protecting the integrity of the person (art. 17)
17.Please provide information on the measures taken to respect the physical and mental integrity of persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others and to prohibit medical procedures, including sterilization, castration and contraception, particularly of persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, without their free and informed consent.
Liberty of movement and nationality (art. 18)
18.Please provide information on the screening of migrant workers and on the measures taken to ensure that screening processes do not discriminate on the basis of disability.
Living independently and being included in the community (art. 19)
19.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Promote the right of persons with disabilities to live independently and be included in the community, including information on access to community support services and other services and facilities on an equal basis with others; please explain how relevant information is shared with persons with disabilities;
(b)Ensure the deinstitutionalization of persons with disabilities, particularly persons affected by leprosy.
Personal mobility (art. 20)
20.Please provide information on the measures taken to facilitate access to assistive technology and personal assistance to ensure the personal mobility of persons with disabilities, and in particular to:
(a)Secure the provision of assistive technology for persons with disabilities, particularly for persons who are ineligible for means-tested funding schemes;
(b)Ensure that the allocation of devices and services for personal mobility matches the requirements of persons with disabilities, using, for example, local places for the fitting, setting and repair of the equipment;
(c)Ensure that persons with disabilities are able to freely use assistance animals in all areas of life and are protected from discrimination on the basis of disability.
Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information (art. 21)
21.Please inform the Committee about the measures taken to ensure the accessibility of information and communications and other services open or provided to the public, through appropriate modes, means and formats of communication such as sign language, Braille, audio or tactile information, augmentative and alternative communication, Easy Read and pictograms.
Respect for home and the family (art. 23)
22.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Replace the system of “proxy decision maker” with supported decision-making with respect to giving consent to marriage;
(b)Prevent the separation of children from their parents on the basis of disability of either the child or one or both of the parents;
(c)Provide appropriate and sufficient support for parents with disabilities and parents of children with disabilities to exercise their parental responsibilities.
Education (art. 24)
23.Please provide information on:
(a)The measures taken to review laws such as the Children and Young Persons Act, to ensure that all children and youth with disabilities have access to inclusive education, accessible materials, adaptive learning environments and sufficient individualized support in mainstream schools at all levels, and the Compulsory Education Act, to ensure the provision of adequate support for inclusive education in all schools;
(b)Whether a policy on inclusive education has been developed and its goals, time frame and results achieved.
Health (art. 25)
24.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Ensure the free and informed consent of persons with disabilities for any form of medical treatment or procedure, particularly regarding persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities;
(b)Ensure that clinics, medical equipment and information are accessible to persons with disabilities;
(c)Provide training to medical staff on the rights of persons with disabilities.
Habilitation and rehabilitation (art. 26)
25.Please provide information on the measures taken to promote comprehensive and community-based rehabilitation programmes for persons with disabilities.
Work and employment (art. 27)
26.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities in work and employment, including the denial of reasonable accommodation;
(b)Promote the employment of persons with disabilities in the open labour market; please provide data, disaggregated by sex, age, migration status, ethnicity and disability, on the number and proportion of persons with disabilities employed in the open labour market;
(c)Promote job placement opportunities through appropriate policies, including affirmative action programmes, for persons with disabilities in the public and private sectors in the open labour market.
Adequate standard of living and social protection (art. 28)
27.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Ensure access to social protection and support services for persons with disabilities;
(b)Reduce income inequalities and poverty among persons with disabilities;
(c)Facilitate access to public housing programmes for persons with disabilities, on an equal basis with others.
28.Please provide information on the situation of migrants who have acquired a disability while living in the State party, and indicate whether they have access to social assistance and benefits from the State party on the grounds of disability and any steps taken to ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.
Participation in political and public life (art. 29)
29.Please provide information on the measures taken to:
(a)Promote actively an environment in which persons with disabilities can effectively and fully participate in the conduct of public affairs, without discrimination and on an equal basis with others, and to increase awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities to participate in political and public life;
(b)Amend the Parliamentary Elections Act to facilitate and improve access to voting and the electoral participation of persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities;
(c)Ensure fully accessible voting procedures by secret ballot in elections and public referendums without intimidation for persons with disabilities on an equal basis with others.
Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport (art. 30)
30.Please provide information on the measures taken to eliminate social and environmental barriers hindering the participation of persons with disabilities, including children with disabilities, in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport in the community.
C.Specific obligations (arts. 31–33)
Statistics and data collection (art. 31)
31.Please inform the Committee about:
(a)Measures to set up a comprehensive data-collection system covering disability, and the status of the system that was being developed to better capture data concerning persons with disabilities, as mentioned in paragraph 387 of the State party report (CRPD/C/SGP/1);
(b)Existing statistics, indicators and benchmarks, guided by the Washington Group short set of questions on disability, to measure the impact of public policies designed to implement the Convention; steps taken to ensure that disability-specific questions are included in the 2020 national census; and measures taken to ensure the participation of organizations of persons with disabilities in all stages of the drafting process of disability-related questions for the 2020 national census;
(c)The public availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data, disaggregated by age, sex, disability, ethnicity, geographic location, socioeconomic status and other characteristics relevant in the national context.
International cooperation (art. 32)
32.Please provide information on the measures taken to ensure the full and effective participation of persons with disabilities in the planning and monitoring of international cooperation activities, including with respect to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
National implementation and monitoring (art. 33)
33.Please provide an update on the work undertaken by the Standing Committee on Disabilities, established in 2007, and describe the involvement and participation of organizations of persons with disabilities in the monitoring of implementation of the Convention.
34.Please provide information on concrete steps taken to establish an independent mechanism for monitoring human rights in compliance with the principles relating to the status of national institutions for the promotion and protection of human rights (the Paris Principles), including a specific mechanism for monitoring the rights of persons with disabilities.