A/HRC/22/25 48. The principal objective of providing technical and vocational training to persons with disabilities is to enhance their employability to ensure that they are competitive in the open labour market on an equal basis with others. Hence, States should ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with vocational training in inclusive settings and that the most marginalized groups, such as persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, are included. C. Promotion of self-employment, entrepreneurship, the development of cooperatives and starting one’s own business 49. Due to a labour market that is often unfriendly to persons with disabilities, selfemployment has often been seen as one of the few options available – indeed, it is for many persons with disabilities the only real option to work. Some 80 per cent of persons with disabilities live in developing countries where the informal economy is widespread, and where a large part of income opportunities are created through informal own-account enterprises or similar. To this end, the Convention calls on States parties to promote opportunities for self-employment, entrepreneurship, the development of cooperatives and starting one‟s own business (art. 27, para. 1 (f)). 50. Business start-up programmes focusing on persons with disabilities or general programmes that give priority to persons with disabilities seem to be among the most common avenues for promoting self-employment. While some countries provide financial support specifically targeted to persons with disabilities wishing to engage in selfemployment, others have adopted legislation to give preference to projects by persons with disabilities, such as in cases where two projects competing for funding otherwise receive the same scoring. Many countries also have measures in place establishing incentives to encourage persons with disabilities to form associations or social enterprises and to initiate income-generating activities. 51. Despite the availability of a wide variety of promotional programmes for selfemployment, in practice, persons with disabilities often find themselves in situations where they are denied support to start a business due to barriers in accessing loans, credit guarantees or similar financial assistance. The provision of funding for self-employment schemes should be fully inclusive of persons with disabilities and should not discriminate against them in any way. D. Protection from exploitation and forced labour 52. The Convention requires States parties to ensure that persons with disabilities are not held in slavery or servitude, and that they are protected, on an equal basis with others, from forced or compulsory labour (art. 27, para. 2). Indeed, persons with disabilities, in particular persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, can be especially vulnerable to situations of forced labour and exploitation due to prejudice related to their mental capacity.22 22 See the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights general comment No. 5 (1994) on persons with disabilities, para. 21, which holds that certain forms of „therapeutical treatment‟ in institutions can amount to forced labour. 13