The Dutch Case

July, 9, 2015Dr. Alice Schippers Disability Studies, Medical Humanities, VU university, Amsterdam

Article 33 of the UNCRPD

Timeline Ratification & Implementation UNCRPD

2006 UN CRPD• 2007 Netherlands signed• 2007- 2011 ‘little happened’ (Pillay, 2012)• 2010-onwards pressure by DPO’s: Coalition for

Inclusion• 2012-2013 impact research on legal and financial

consequences • 2014 – proposal for ratification prepared by

Government, sent to parliament • 2015 – jan-aug: consultation rounds by parliament• 2015 – autumn: ratification expected

QOL outcomes

Dutch context

-> Some laws conflict with the Convention

Historical context• Less rights based discourse• Less prescriptive legislation (laws follow practice,

instrumental)• Solidarity: ‘polder model’ (group based, rather than

individual)• Charities and local communities were responsable:

tend to patriarchal attitudes and disabling practices

Dutch context/2

• Equal Treatment Commission -> Human Rights Institute (2012)

• Strong pressure of top-down (UN) and bottom-up partners (Dutch civil society)

• Ministry of Internal Affairs• Only active legal capacity in Equal

Treatment

Bottom up: ‘formal’ partners

• In the process of decentralization to local communities: budget cuts • National DPO’s budgets cut since 2012• Allied in the formal consultation rounds• Hard to keep independency; less vision-driven,

more ‘pluche’ oriented

Bottom up: ‘informal’ partners

• Coalition for Inclusion: strong pressure in CRPD ratification process

• Also ‘unorganized’ persons and partners, people with and without disabilities, also professionals

• Strong in vision, good in keeping independent role• ‘Allowed’ by government, too strong (also in

numbers!) to pass by

QOL outcomes

Real influence?