Video message by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein in support of the campaign of the Special Envoy on disability and accessibility

Children with disabilities are among the most marginalised people in the world.  Regardless of where they live, they are routinely hidden away in the home or in institutions, denied access to education and other basic services, and excluded from their peer groups and the wider community.

These harms are compounded by impunity. Their isolation, dependence and overwhelming exclusion from education mean that children with disabilities are very frequently not informed that they have rights, and so cannot seek assistance or access justice.

Girls with disabilities are particular targets of violence and other harmful practices.  Newborn girls with disabilities are at higher risk of infanticide in many regions across the world, and girls with disabilities are more often subjected to sexual violence than others of their age. As they approach puberty and adolescence, families and caregivers may subject them to forced sterilisation or other practises which violate their rights.

We need strong action to fight these practises, and better legislation and policies, in line with international human rights law. Children with disabilities, like all childrenhave the right to access services such as education and healthcare. They have the right to justice,the right to express their views freely on all matters affecting them, and to be provided with disability and age-appropriate assistance to realize that right.

We also need to push back against the underlying prejudice which fosters this violence and oppression against children with disabilities.

Your support can help your societies achieve a fundamental shift in the way girls and boys with disabilities are treated and perceived, so that we build societies that support their equality, dignity and inclusion.

I welcome the campaign initiated by the UN Special Envoy on Disability and Accessibility, and invite you all to stand up for the rights of children with disabilities.