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UN safeguard for disabled rights in New Zealand

Xinhua, October 5, 2016 Adjust font size:

Disabled people in New Zealand will soon have recourse to the United Nations if they feel their rights are violated, Disability Issues Minister Nicky Wagner said Wednesday.

Wagner issued a statement welcoming New Zealand's accession to the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).

The Optional Protocol enabled individuals or groups, who claim their rights were breached under the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to make a complaint to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

"While most matters are resolved through domestic channels, the Optional Protocol means that disabled New Zealanders will have access to the full range of human rights protections available internationally," said Wagner.

The Optional Protocol would come into force for New Zealand on Oct. 20. Endit