Efforts made to protect rights of the disabled

China has made continuous efforts to protect the human rights of disabled people, especially disabled women, by securing their right to work and securing legal protections.

Liu Xiaonan, a professor from the Institute for Human Rights with the China University of Political Science and Law, said at an online side event to the ongoing 51st session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, that according to World Health Organization figures there are over 1 billion disabled people across the world, roughly 15 percent of the global population. However, their average employment rate is only 44 percent.

"Research shows that disabled women are subjected to worse treatment in the job market compared with disabled men, including in job opportunities, promotions and payments," she said.

"Disabled women are also in a worse situation when it comes to employment quality."

She said that as the international community stresses the protection of the human rights of disabled women, China has its advantages in securing those rights.

"We have specific laws and regulations in protecting disabled women and we also have organizations such as the China Disabled Persons' Federation and the All-China Women's Federation," she said.

Zhou Lulu, Party secretary of the Guangzhou University Institute for Human Rights, said at the side event that China has about 85 million disabled people.

"In order to help disabled people enjoy a better life, it's necessary to encourage companies to shoulder their social responsibilities and give them job opportunities," she said.

"From my perspective, companies can develop vacancies tailored for disabled people. It's important that the group has equal opportunities in terms of job seeking and competition, which requires the elimination of discrimination in these areas."