Abstract:
The Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with
Disabilities (CRPD), adopted by the United Nations (UN) and entered
into force at the same time as the Convention, is a crucial addition to the
international system of human rights protection.1 The Protocol provides
for a mechanism for individual complaints to be submitted to the
Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD Committee)
by or on behalf of individuals or groups of individuals who believe that
their rights under the CRPD have been violated by the state party. The
Protocol gives persons with disabilities who are victims of such violations
a voice and makes states more responsive and accountable to their
obligations under the CRPD. The communication procedures of the
Protocol are like those of other UN human rights treaty systems.
