Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
List of issues in relation to the initial report of Bulgaria *
A.Purpose and general obligations (arts. 1-4)
1.Please provide information on the progress made by the State party in its plans to ratify the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
2.Please provide information on any plans to explicitly prohibit disability-based discrimination in the State party’s Constitution.
3.Please provide information on the promotion of the Committee’s general comments Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.
Purpose (art. 1)
4.Please provide information on the progress made with regard to the analysis of national legislation on definitions of disability (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 20).
Definitions (art. 2)
5.Please provide information on the progress made with regard to legislative changes to set norms on reasonable accommodation, as prescribed by the Convention (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 10).
General obligations (art. 4)
6.Please provide information on the progress made in the realization of the Action Plan for the implementation of the Convention (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 15) and please provide an update on the new strategy for persons with disabilities following the expiration of the Strategy for Equal Opportunities for People with Disabilities 2008-2015.
B.Specific rights (arts. 5-30)
Equality and non-discrimination (art. 5)
7.Please describe the legal remedies available to persons with disabilities who have been subjected to discrimination.
Women with disabilities (art. 6)
8.Please provide more information on how disability is mainstreamed in gender-equality legislation and policy. Please provide information on whether multiple, intersectional discrimination of women and girls with disabilities is considered an aggravating form of discrimination in legislation.
Children with disabilities (art. 7)
9.Please provide information on the progress made in the implementation of the national strategy “Vision for deinstitutionalization of children in Bulgaria” (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 256).
10. Please provide information about children with disabilities who died during the transition from institutionalization to other forms of residential care under the deinstitutionalization programme.
Accessibility (art. 9)
11.Please provide information on the progress made with regard to the analysis of national legislation and the measures taken for implementing provisions of article 9 of the Convention (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 43). Please provide updated information on the related monitoring and sanctions framework.
12.Please provide information on the progress made in the development of regulations for sanctions and the complaints procedure in cases of infringement of accessibility in relation to air transport (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 58).
13.Please provide information on the progress made in the development of accessible railroad infrastructure (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 54).
Right to life (art.10)
14.Please provide information on the number of investigations that have been launched concerning medical neglect of children and adults with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities and on the outcomes of those investigations, including any criminal convictions.
Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies (art. 11)
15.Please indicate whether public warnings about natural disasters (for example, floods) are broadcast on television in sign language, with captioning and in plain language.
16.Please provide updated information on the situation of migrants and refugees with disabilities in the State party.
Equal recognition before the law (art. 12)
17.Please provide information on the progress made with regard to legislative reforms aimed at implementing the provisions of article 12 of the Convention (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 65).
Access to justice (art. 13)
18.Please provide information on the procedural accommodations available to persons with disabilities, especially those with sensory, psychosocial and/or intellectual disabilities, in criminal, civil and administrative proceedings.
Liberty and security of the person (art. 14)
19.Please provide information on the number of persons with disabilities who have been deprived of their liberty, and the reasons and legal basis for the deprivation of liberty.
Freedom from torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment (art. 15)
20.Please provide information on the measures taken to protect persons with disabilities from torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment in psychiatric institutions and in prisons. Please provide updated information on the implementation of the recommendations made by the Office of the Ombudsman in that respect.
Freedom from exploitation, violence and abuse (art. 15)
21.Please provide information on crisis centres and services available to women with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities who have experienced gender-based violence.
Living independently and being included in the community (art. 19)
22.Please provide information on plans for closing down “homes” (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 100) and replacing them comprehensively with support services in the local community. Please provide information about support services available for the transition from living in institutions to life in the community.
23.Please explain how the support services funded from the European Union Structural and Investment Funds will continue to be funded once the European Union project is finished.
Personal mobility (art. 20)
24.Please provide information on availability of and the possibility of obtaining reimbursement for age-appropriate mobility equipment in the State party.
Freedom of expression and opinion, and access to information (art. 21)
25.Please provide information on how many public Internet sites are accessible in accordance with international web accessibility standards that the State Party implements.
26.Please provide information about the legal status of Braille, Easy Read format and sign language in the State party
Education (art. 24)
27.Please provide updated information on the funds invested to provide individualized support and reasonable accommodation to students with disabilities in mainstream schools to enable them to enjoy their right to quality inclusive education.
28.Please provide information on any research carried out on economic and social benefits of inclusive education.
29.Please provide updated information on awareness-raising measures taken to promote the right to education in mainstream schools for children with disabilities. Please provide clarification if students with disabilities can be rejected from enrolling in mainstream schools under the law and/or in practice.
Health (art. 25)
30.Please provide information on the measures taken to provide interdisciplinary health care to persons with disabilities (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 170).
31.Please provide information about any State-organized training on the Convention and the human rights of persons with disabilities for health-care professionals.
32.Please provide updated information on the steps taken to ensure access to health care for adults and children with disabilities, especially in remote and rural areas.
Habilitation and rehabilitation (art. 26)
33.Please provide updated information on the outcomes of complaints submitted to the Ombudsman (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 180) and of the inspection of rehabilitation facilities (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 181).
Work and employment (art. 27)
34.Please provide information on the implementation of the employment quota for persons with disabilities (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 184).
35.Please provide information on any measures taken to make the workplace environment and working conditions accessible to persons with disabilities. Please provide updated information on the funds allocated/invested to provide reasonable accommodation at the workplace.
Adequate standard of living and social protection (art. 28)
36.Please provide information on the effects of the economic crisis and austerity measures on social protection and allowances to which persons with disabilities are entitled in the State party.
37.Please provide recent data on the level of poverty of persons with disabilities in the State party.
38.Please provide updated information on the resources invested to enable persons with disabilities to cover additional costs relating to their disability.
Participation in political and public life (art. 29)
39.Please provide information on the outcomes of the supported decision-making measures (see CRPD/C/BGR/1, para. 213) aimed at enabling persons with disabilities, especially persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, to vote. How many persons have used supported decision making to vote?
Participation in cultural life, recreation, leisure and sport (art. 30)
40.Please provide updated information on the ratification status of the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled. Please provide updated information on how the State party implements culture and sport policies in relation to persons with disabilities.
C.Specific obligations
Statistics and data collection (art. 31)
41.Please provide information about the methodology used by the State party in the collection of information relating to persons with disabilities. Please provide updated information on any plans by the State party to use the Washington Group set of questions and tools on disability for the purposes of data collection.
International cooperation (art. 32)
42.Please provide information on the extent to which persons with disabilities participate in international cooperation policies and on how the human rights model of disability is mainstreamed in the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Please also indicate how organizations of persons with disabilities are involved in the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda at national and local levels.
National implementation and monitoring (art. 33)
43.Please provide updated data on the financial and human resources provided to national focal points and independent and impartial monitoring mechanisms, as prescribed by article 33 of the Convention.