The following article is a partial summary of the information imparted in a workshop presented by Ginger Tomlinon February 16, 1996. A brief exploration of the causes of disabilities and the interrelationship with violations of human rights and humanitarian norms draw attention to the need for the world community to continue to recognize and address the basic rights of persons who possess, as only one of their many characteristics, a disability.
Disabled persons comprise the largest minority in the world community.
Despite the fact that the rights of persons with disabilities are protected through domestic legislation in a number of states, this historically disadvantaged group has always been excluded from the United Nations concept of minorities. While genetic disorders, disease, and other natural causes are responsible for the disabilities of many persons, human rights violations directly and indirectly increase the incidence of disability. The Special Rapporteur appointed by the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations highlighted in his 1991 report the significant relationship between violations of human rights and of humanitarian law and the expanding population of disabled persons, particularly in developing countries. The manifestations range from the most obvious, such as torture andother attacks on the physical or psychological integrity of persons, to less specific causes, suchas malnutrition, the lack of sanitation and of proper medical care. Widespread violations of the rules of humanitarian law often result in both combatants and non-combatants being inflicted with permanent disabilities.