Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

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

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

Purpose and general obligations (arts. 1-4)

1.Please clarify whether the State party has plans toharmonize the definition of disability in all existing relevant laws, in line with the object and the purpose of the Convention.Please provide information about the mechanisms for ensuring meaningful consultation with and the participation oforganizations of persons with disabilities in relation to all matters concerning them.

2.Please provide updated information on the process of dialogue between the Government and organizations of persons with disabilities which started in 2009. Please elaborate on the outcomes of that process.

B.Specific rights

Equality and non-discrimination (art. 5)

3.Please indicate the plans by the State party to revise legislation and introduce comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that also encompasses disability-based discrimination, multiple discrimination and the denial of reasonable accommodation as a form of discrimination.

Women with disabilities, and children with disabilities (arts. 6 and 7)

4.Please clarify whether mandatory reporting applies to cases of violence and abuse against women, girls and boys with disabilities. Please specify what concrete measures have been adopted to facilitate the reporting of violence and abuse against women and children with disabilities, in particular those living in institutions, mental health facilities or under programmes run by non-governmental organizations.

5.Please provide information on the extent to which the rights of women with disabilities are mainstreamed into gender equality strategies and how children with disabilities are included in child-rights policies and legislation.

6.Please provide information on how the opinions and views of girls and boys with disabilities are considered in all matters affecting their lives.

Awareness-raising (art. 8)

7.Please provide information on awareness-raising campaigns conducted to sensitize the general public, including their format and outcomes. Please also provide information on the professionals, other than health workers, for whom a module on disability has been included as part of their professional training. Please further provide information on any public awareness campaigns aimed at transforming cultural prejudices and discriminatory attitudes against persons with disabilities, including persons with albinism.

Accessibility (art. 9)

8.What steps are being taken to adjust regulations to ensure that all future building programmes meet accessibility standards, and to revise the Public Procurement and Disposal of Assets Act to explicitly incorporate accessibility standards as one of the criteria for awarding construction tenders? Please also indicate any measures adopted with a view to improving overall accessibility.

Equal recognition before the law (art. 12)

9.Please provide updates on the reform of the Mental Health Act. Please clarify whether the legislation provides for a system of supported decision-making for persons with disabilities, including intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities.

Access to justice (art. 13)

10.Please provide information on the accessibility to persons with disabilities of all judicial facilities, including court buildings, police stations and prisons. Please provide information about the availability of information in accessible formats, especially Braille and sign language, in these facilities.

Liberty and security of the person (art. 14)

11.Please provide updated information on the revision of laws that allow for the involuntary institutionalization of persons with disabilities in institutions. Please also provide information on the availability of appeal mechanisms.

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

12.Please indicate the steps being taken to legally prohibit the forced treatment of persons, including girls and boys, with disabilities living in institutions or mental health facilities. What measures are currently in place to prevent and punish such abuses?

13.Please provide information on the steps taken to protect persons with disabilities against torture, abuse or violence, in particular persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities, especially in psychiatric institutions and hospitals. Please provide information on the efforts made towards involving persons with disabilities and their representative organizations in the formulation of the Mental Health Bill.

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

14.Please provide information, including statistical data, on the cases of all forms of violence against and abuse of persons with disabilities, disaggregated by sex and age, that have been reported to law enforcement officers, including the source of the report, type of violence or abuse and the outcome of the proceedings. What measures have been taken to adopt a due-diligence framework, including a monitoring mechanism, concerning violence against persons with disabilities, including effective and enforceable remedies and penalties for perpetrators?

Liberty of movement and nationality (art. 18)

15.Please provide updated information on the measures adopted by the State party to repeal the provision in the 2005 Citizenship and Immigration Control Bill, which lists “unsoundness of mind” as a condition for forbidding acquisition of dual citizenship.

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

16.Please provide information, including statistical data, on persons with disabilities in institutions, disaggregated by sex, age and impairment type. Please also provide information about the percentages of persons with disabilities who receive State-funded services enabling them to live independently within the community, including personal assistance.

Education (art. 24)

17.Please provide information on the development and adoption of an inclusive education system in law and programmes, to ensure an enforceable right to inclusive education for all girls and boys with concrete measurable indicators and timelines.

18.Please explain the specific measures adopted under the affirmative action programme of the Universities and Other Tertiary Institutions Act and their impact in terms of number of students with disabilities attending higher education.

Health (art. 25)

19.Please provide information on the current state of health legislation noted in paragraph 195 of the State party report with particular implications for persons with disabilities. What steps have been adopted to repeal legislation and eradicate practices that violate the right of persons with disabilities to express their free and informed consent, especially for persons with intellectual and/or psychosocial disabilities with regard to forced treatment, including harmful traditional practices?

Habilitation and rehabilitation (art. 26)

20.Please provide information on the measures taken to expand community-based rehabilitation programmes. Please elaborate on the coverage of programmes across the country, especially in rural and remote areas.

Work and employment (art. 27)

21.Please provide data on the employment rate of persons with disabilities. Please also provide specific information on the impact of the implementation of tax reduction policies, including recent trends. What measures are in place to ensure the active inclusion of persons with disabilities in the labour force?

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

22.What measures have been adopted to ensure that persons with disabilities are included in mainstream health and social insurance schemes? Please also explain the measures that have been adopted to mainstream persons with disabilities in poverty-reduction strategies.

Participation in political and public life (art. 29)

23.Please indicate the steps taken to improve the participation of persons with disabilities in political and public life. What steps have been taken to improve the accessibility of electoral processes and the materials for persons with disabilities, and what measures have been adopted to repeal restrictions on persons with disabilities to vote and to be elected?

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

24.Please explain the measures that have been taken to ensure implementation of section 38 of the Persons with Disabilities Act 2006, which provides for the full participation of persons with disabilities in the cultural life of their community and to develop and utilize their creative, artistic and sporting potential for the enrichment of their community as well as to have access to broadcasting, films, theatres and other cultural activities.

Statistics and data collection (art. 31)

25.Please provide an update on the concrete steps taken to establish indicators and comparable data sets to compile statistics on all of the articles of the Convention so as to inform disability programming and guide subsequent reporting on the Convention.

National implementation and monitoring (art. 33)

26.Please provide information on the focal points appointed under article 33 (1) and the independent monitoring mechanisms introduced under article 33 (2) of the Convention. To what extent do organizations of persons with disabilities participate in the national implementation and monitoring frameworks?

27.Please provide information on the appointment and membership of persons with disabilities in the National Council for Disability. How is the Council being strengthened in terms of its monitoring and policy influence?