In a critical report, the committee expresses concerns about the accessibility of education, public transport and the labour market. The report is also critical of forced treatment, such as that which occurs in mental health care. The committee states that the Netherlands should stop such forced treatment.
Stigma and discrimination
The committee says that research and data have given it the impression that people with disabilities, and in particular intellectual disabilities, ‘still face stigmatisation and discrimination’.
The authors of the report believe that agreements from the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities have not yet been sufficiently implemented. This 2008 treaty stipulates that people with a disability or chronic illness must be able to participate just like everyone else.
According to the UN report, the Netherlands must urgently ‘systematically assess’ existing legislation and bring it into line with the treaty.
