Translate The Content in Your Local Language

Saturday 12 April 2014

Persons with disabilities: government must introduce legislation: AWAM

The government must introduce comprehensive disability legislation for establishing, improving and strengthening support mechanisms ensuring accessible environment for persons with disabilities.


This was demanded by the participants during a consultation meeting entitled "Statutory Cover for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" under the auspices of the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) in collaboration with Council for Social Development (CSD), Social Development Organisation (SDO), CBID Network, Noble Concern for Human Development (NCHD) and EMAAN.


Speaking on the occasion, Azhar Abbas said: "The public institutions are assisting and facilitating disability community, but majority of the persons with disabilities are unaware about the procedures and ways of getting benefits from government. Therefore, the government should make easy access of persons with disabilities to the services and trainings for their empowerment."


A human rights activist Naseem Anthony condemned the act of National Assembly's standing committee for law and justice for rejecting the proposed bill for the allocation of reserved seats for persons with disabilities. Subsequent to the ordinance of 1981, new laws have not been created, and persons with disability have been deprived of their due rights for 32 years. "The government must seriously review the much needed disability bill, recently submitted in the National Assembly, and approve it after making it harmonious with international commitments," he demanded.


An educationist Shabeer Gohar said: "A visually impaired person should be exempt from the queue in all offices like NADRA, Banks and Hospitals. There is need to raise awareness about white-cane campaign, and the government should take solemn steps to enhance the significance of white-cane while issuing driving license."


A senior journalist Tahir Anjum condemned the negative social attitudes of individuals of society. If Government did not facilitate the PWDs, so there is a need to step forward for providing them support and counselling. We have to raise our voices for the rights of persons with disabilities. Negative attitudes should be given up and positive attitudes and behaviours must be adopted, which would open the new avenues for the success of PWDs.


A journalist and social activist Asif Munawar said: "There should be one-window operation for the registration process of persons with disabilities. They are facing many physical, economic and social obstacles."



Source : Business Recorder , 11th April 2014

No comments:

Post a Comment