Diakonie demands: Securing fundamental rights in our environment too
Vienna (OTS) – Diakonie director Maria Katharina Moser describes human rights as “one of the greatest humanization projects in the history of humanity” on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10th.
The fact that all people are born free and equal in dignity and rights is the supporting foundation of society and the state: “The belief that people have rights that no one can take away comes from the experience of exactly what happened.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is the answer to the terror of National Socialism, which grossly disregards the equal dignity of all. There cannot and must not be any retreat from human rights and their universal validity. This means that human rights apply to all people and to each and every individual. They ensure basic needs that every human being has
: Protection from violence, social security, food, clothing, medical care, freedom of expression and religion, work, participation and political say and much more. When the human rights of one group are violated – for example, people on the move or people with disabilities – then the human rights of everyone are at risk
.”
Respecting human rights is a lasting challenge, the Diakonie director continued: “What is formulated in general terms in the Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 must become concrete.” Diakonie gives three examples from its practical work:
Inclusive education for children and young people with disabilities
“Everyone has the right to education.” (UDHR Art. 26) This also applies to people with disabilities; the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities specifies this. In order to ensure the right to education for people with disabilities, an inclusive education system must be guaranteed. Austria is lagging behind in this obligation. This was the result of a state audit in August 2023, which came to the conclusion that Austria is not making progress in inclusive education, but is instead taking steps backwards. Diakonie calls for the expansion of inclusive kindergarten places, the abolition of the segregating school system that separates children with and without disabilities, and the right to an 11th and 12th school year for children with disabilities.
Access to work for displaced people from Ukraine
“Everyone has the right to work, to freely choose a career, to fair and satisfactory working conditions and to protection against unemployment.” (UDHR Art. 23) The right to access to work for people enjoying international protection is also enshrined in the Geneva Refugee Convention and in the EU Directive on Temporary Protection for Displaced Persons in Ukraine. The key to labor market integration lies in removing barriers to integration.
In Austria, accommodation in the state basic care system, which is not designed for long-term residence, is currently a brake on integration. Diakonie demands equal treatment for those displaced from Ukraine with recognized refugees, which also includes access to social rights and social assistance. Social assistance is not only a springboard for labor market integration, it also creates an obligation for individuals to be available to the labor market and the opportunity for targeted support when taking up work.
Monitoring center for children’s rights
“Mothers and children are entitled to special care and support. All children … enjoy the same social protection.” (UDHR Art. 25) The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Austrian Federal Constitutional Law on the Rights of Children stipulate that the best interests of the child must come first in all decisions made by state or private institutions. Nevertheless, children in Austria have a very difficult time asserting their rights. Diakonie calls for an independent monitoring body to monitor the implementation of children’s rights in Austria.
Questions & Contact:
Diakonie Austria
Roberta Rastl
Press spokesperson
0664 3149395
presse@diakonie.at