The jurisprudence of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its implications for Africa

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.