Disability Rights 24: Right to privacy

In addition to the human rights laws in the Constitution of Uganda there are several other rights granted to persons with disabilities (PWDs). These rights are given by law in the Persons With Disabilities Act 2006 (PWDA) which is modeled on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Whether you are a PWD or not, these laws apply to you.

Section 35 of the PWDA says that you have a right to privacy.

What is privacy? Privacy International says:

Privacy enables us to create barriers and manage boundaries to protect ourselves from unwarranted interference in our lives, which allows us to negotiate who we are and how we want to interact with the world around us. Privacy helps us establish boundaries to limit who has access to our bodies, places and things, as well as our communications and our information.

Privacy is a fundamental human right, it has to do with all those things you consider private to yourself. The right to privacy begins with dressing modestly and reaches into all areas of your personal life. Privacy has to do with: 

• Your sexuality, your body, your disability and your medical records. 
• How you look and how you dress - your personal identity is your own concern.
• Your relationships with other people.
• How your personal information is kept and how your privacy is maintained.

If you are a PWD you do not need to share details about your disability. Your personal details are your own concern. It is your right to have a private life.

“People with disabilities often depend on a care-giver. This has a great impact on getting information privately and confidentially.”

This law is written like this in section 35 of the Persons With Disabilities Act 2006:

35. Right to privacy. 

Persons with disabilities, including those living in institutions, shall not be subjected to arbitrartor unlawful interference with their privacy.