Doc. 10639

5 July 2005

Legal instrument for the recognition, protection and promotion of sign languages and the rights of their users

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Bruce and others

1.       The Assembly welcomes the publication of the report “The status of sign languages in Europe” and acknowledges the wide variation in approach and provision across member states.

2.       It also welcomes the fact that the report acknowledges that sign languages “are natural languages in their own right”; “perform a similar range of functions to spoken languages” and “are the first or preferred language for many people”.

3.       The Assembly recalls Recommendation 1492 (2001) which recommended that the Committee of Ministers give the various sign languages utilised in Europe a protection similar to that afforded by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

4.       The Assembly further recalls Recommendation 1598 (2003) which recommended that the Committee of Ministers devise a specific legal instrument on the rights of sign language users.

5.       The Assembly notes that for deaf people denial of sign language represents a fundamental breach of their human rights leading to social exclusion downgrading of life chances, employment opportunities and general quality of life and believes that the Council of Europe is uniquely placed to address this deficit in the rights of hundreds of thousands of European citizens who are dependent on sign languages.

6.       The Assembly therefore calls on the Committee of Ministers to proceed without delay to draft and consult on such a legal instrument that specifically delivers the following:

i.       legal recognition of the relevant sign languages within each member state;

ii.       the right of parents of deaf children to be advised as t the role that sign language could play in their lives;

iii.       the right of deaf children to be taught with the use of sign language if their parents so wish;

iv.       the right of deaf young people and adults to have access to sign language interpretation in a wide variety of situations.

Signed (see overleaf)

Signed ¹:

BRUCE, Malcolm, United Kingdom, ALDE

CILEVIČS, Boriss, Latvia, SOC

DENDIAS, Nikolaos, Greece, EPP/CD

EXNER, Václav, Czech Republic, UEL

IVANOV, Sergei, Estonia, ALDE

JURGENS, Erik, Netherlands, SOC

POURGOURIDES, Christos, Cyprus, EPP/CD

RUSTAMYAN, Armen, Armenia, SOC

SASI, Kimmo, Finland, EPP/CD

VAREIKIS, Egidijus, Lithuania, EPP/CD

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      ALDE: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group