Promoting the rights of children living with disabilities in Togo

The Programme

Children living with disabilities are among the most vulnerable of all Togo’s population. Young people with disabilities face not only poverty, but also social isolation and discrimination. Despite the rights guaranteed to them by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and other national law, they are often prohibited from meaningfully participating in their communities. They regularly lack basic health care and are often not allowed to attend school or to find work. The UNPRPD project Promoting the Rights of Children with Disabilities was established in Togo in 2012 to build national capacity to meet CRPD obligations with a special focus on provisions related to children. 

By combining the capacities of three agencies the United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Health Organization (WHO), and forging effective partnerships with government and non-governmental organizations alike, this programme addressed challenges of providing education to children living with disabilities in a sustainable manner. This holistic human rights-based response, touching on all of health, education and protection, serves as a model to be replicated in other development strategies across Togo and elsewhere.