UN disability committee criticises Denmark

Social minister looking into 72 recommendations this autumn

Oct 6, 2014

A new report from the UN Rights of Disabled People Committee has criticised Denmark for not having a general ban on discriminating against people with disabilities.

Denmark ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Disabled People in 2009, but the committee still criticised Denmark for not living up to the convention in 72 areas concerning rights for disabled people.

"These are clear-cut recommendations that will be difficult to ignore politically in Denmark," Thorkild Olesen, the head of the Danish disabled persons' organsation Danske Handicaporganisationer, told Politiken newspaper.

Ministry looking into it
For instance, in Denmark it is legal for a shop to refuse service to a blind person because that person has a guide dog or for there to be no wheelchair access to public areas because there is no lift.

The social minister, Manu Sareen, said that his ministry's disabled committee would look into all 72 recommendations this autumn.

"It's obvious that we'll take a look at the Danish efforts after being criticised by the UN. We take the issue very seriously," Sareen told Politiken.

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