Motion for a resolution | Doc. 14489 | 25 January 2018

The treatment of people with autism and their families

Signatories: Dame Cheryl GILLAN, United Kingdom, EC ; Lord Richard BALFE, United Kingdom, EC ; Ms Hannah BARDELL, United Kingdom, NR ; Lord David BLENCATHRA, United Kingdom, EC ; Ms Maryvonne BLONDIN, France, SOC ; Mr Liam BYRNE, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr David DAVIES, United Kingdom, EC ; Alexander [The Earl of] DUNDEE, United Kingdom, EC ; Mr Nigel EVANS, United Kingdom, EC ; Ms Sevinj FATALIYEVA, Azerbaijan, EC ; Ms Sahiba GAFAROVA, Azerbaijan, EC ; Ms Nino GOGUADZE, Georgia, EC ; Mr Oleksii GONCHARENKO, Ukraine, EC ; Ms Maria GUZENINA, Finland, SOC ; Mr John HOWELL, United Kingdom, EC ; Ms Eva-Lena JANSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Susan Elan JONES, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Niklas KARLSSON, Sweden, SOC ; Ms Sofio KATSARAVA, Georgia, SOC ; Ms Colette KELLEHER, Ireland, NR ; Mr İlhan KESİCİ, Turkey, SOC ; Mr Akif Çağatay KILIÇ, Turkey, EC ; Mr Serhii KIRAL, Ukraine, EC ; Mr Jérôme LAMBERT, France, SOC ; Mr Ian LIDDELL-GRAINGER, United Kingdom, EC ; Mr Ján MAROSZ, Slovak Republic, EC ; Baroness Doreen MASSEY, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Daniel MILEWSKI, Poland, EC ; Mr Víctor NAUDI ZAMORA, Andorra, SOC ; Mr Jarosław OBREMSKI, Poland, EC ; Mr Suat ÖNAL, Turkey, EC ; Lord Simon RUSSELL, United Kingdom, EC ; Mr Frank SCHWABE, Germany, SOC ; Mr Samad SEYIDOV, Azerbaijan, EC ; Mr Tommy SHEPPARD, United Kingdom, NR ; Ms Angela SMITH, United Kingdom, SOC ; Ms Petra De SUTTER, Belgium, SOC ; Ms Rita TAMAŠUNIENĖ, Lithuania, EC ; Ms Zühal TOPCU, Turkey, EC ; Mr Manuel TORNARE, Switzerland, SOC ; Mr Cemalettin Kani TORUN, Turkey, EC ; Lord Don TOUHIG, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Yıldırım Tuğrul TÜRKEŞ, Turkey, EC ; Mr Martin WHITFIELD, United Kingdom, SOC ; Mr Morten WOLD, Norway, EC ; Ms Serap YAŞAR, Turkey, EC

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only those who have signed it.

Research indicates that one in a hundred people are autistic. This means that approximately 5 million people in the European Union, and 75 million people worldwide could have autism.

Regrettably, even in the most developed countries, people with autism continue to face stark inequalities. They are more likely to struggle with or be excluded from education. They are more likely to be known to the police and experience difficulties within the justice system. They are more likely to be unemployed or underemployed in the work environment and have difficulty in accessing public services. Ultimately, they are more likely to die early from a range of physical and mental health problems.

The Parliamentary Assembly should inquire into the attitudes and prejudice about people with autism, and the inequalities they face, and produce a report recommending to member States ways to increase support, provision, and understanding of autistic people and their families.