London, England, Sep 19, 2017 / 05:02 am
A United Nations committee addressing the rights of disabled people has rebuked the U.K. for how people with disabilities are portrayed by the government and seen in the media, with one expert expressing concern for attitudes which may lead to euthanasia.
"Disabled people being portrayed as parasites, living on social benefits, and welfare and the taxes of other people" is dangerous, Theresia Degener told BBC in an unpublished interview, according to Disability News Service.
This attitude "will later on lead to violence against disabled people … if not to killings and euthanasia," said Degener, who chairs the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). As part of an economic plan to recover from the 2008 recession, the UK began a social security reform in 2010, intended to achieve financial sustainability and curb abuse of the welfare system.
In a report delivered last year, the UNCRPD expressed concern that the steps taken to restrict abuse of the system were affecting 26,000 people who were eligible for disability allowances.