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FEBRUARY 2022 InTouch | 5 Reports on violence and abuse of disabled people launched The Disability Rights Commissioner has launched two new reports on violence and abuse of disabled people. The reports are called Whakamahiaā te tūkinokore ināianei, ā muri ake nei (Acting now for a violence and abuse free future) andWhakamanahia Te Tiriti, Whakahaumarutia te Tangata (Honour the Treaty, Protect the Person). They suggest a way forward to address and prevent violence and abuse that is based in Te Tiriti and human rights. Both reports call for urgent action to tackle this long-standing problem. The DPO Coalition welcomes these two reports. For too long, disabled people and tāngata whaikaha Māori have been invisible in New Zealand’s growing awareness of the significant problem of family, sexual and other forms of violence. The 2 reports can be found via the following link: www.hrc.co.nz/news/violence-and- abuse-against-disabled-people-epidemic- proportions-says-commissioner/ Reflecting on progress The Minister for Disability Issues, Hon Carmel Sepuloni, met with the DPO Coalition in December. The Coalition reflected on the last year, and how much progress has been made. It spoke of the new Ministry for Disabled People, and how it has the potential to make a Keeping you up-to-date on the latest developments and news from the DPO Coalition. Update on DPO Coalition – December 2021 significant difference in the lives of disabled people. They raised their concern that currently people who experience mental distress are not included in the new Ministry. The Minister gave an assurance she would task the new Ministry with addressing this. Accelerating Accessibility In October 2021 the Government announced its intention to introduce legislation that will make New Zealand more accessible. A new system (including a governance Board and departmental officials) will be set up to work on removing widespread accessibility barriers. The DPO Coalition has met with the Ministry for Social Development team working on the legislation to discuss the design of the new system. The DPO Coalition discussed how the system should be governed, and who should be involved in governance. In particular, they discussed how to ensure the voices of disabled people are reflected in the new system. Establishment Unit, Ministry for Disabled People A new Ministry for Disabled People is being established. The Ministry will be the first of its kind in the world. The DPO Coalition met with members of the team who are working on establishing the new Ministry in November and December. The DPO Coalition was pleased to hear that disabled people are being involved in the governance of this work – six of the nine people in the governance group will have experience of disability. A major focus of the team is recruiting to positions in the Establishment Unit. It was excellent to hear that there has been a very high level of interest in these positions from applicants who are disabled people. Office for Disability Issues The DPO Coalition and the Office for Disability Issues met in November and December. Discussion included government agency reports on implementing the Disability Action Plan, the new Ministry for Disabled People, community engagement, Covid response, vaccination rates and access to health and disability services. Implementation of the United Nations Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities examined New Zealand will be examined on its implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The examination will be held by a United Nations committee in Geneva in August 2022. The DPO Coalition, together with the Human Rights Commission and the Ombudsman, is preparing for this review. NEWS ROUNDUP