Shantha Rau Barriga shares her first-hand experiences documenting some of the worst human rights crimes: the shackling and deliberate isolation of people with disabilities. “If I hadn’t seen it with my own eyes, I would not believe such inhumanity is possible.” By sharing the stories of people hidden away and pressuring policymakers to act, we’re starting to change people’s lives. Shantha calls each of us to work together and #BreakTheChains of stigma and violence - and include people with disabilities in our communities. Shantha Rau Barriga is an expert in international disability rights and has documented human rights abuses against people with disabilities in more than a dozen countries around the world. She is the founding director of the disability rights division at Human Rights Watch, leading research and advocacy to bring the voices of people with disabilities to policymakers and the media, in partnership with organizations of people with disabilities. This work has lead to concrete changes in policies and perceptions.
In particular, she has documented the shackling of people with psychosocial disabilities, denial of education for children with disabilities, violence against women and girls with disabilities, the institutionalization of children and adults with disabilities, and the neglect of people with disabilities in humanitarian emergencies. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx