Inclusion in development termed basic human right of children with disabilities

LAHORE: Secretary Special Education Punjab Saima Saeed said the commitment to realizing the right of persons with disabilities is not only a matter of justice; it is an investment in a common future and the global economy.

She said of the one billion populations of persons with disabilities, 80% live in developing countries. An estimated 46% of older people aged 60 years and over are people with disabilities.

One in every five women is likely to experience disability in her life, while one in every ten children is a child with a disability. She said that all the relevant government departments, global entities and the civil society must act in unison to facilitate persons with disabilities.

She said that the basic purpose of observing this day is to highlight and create awareness about the basic rights and issues being faced by children with disabilities.

She said the government is putting in all the resources and providing necessary infrastructure for the education of children with disabilities.

Being part of inclusive development is basic human right of children with disabilities, says Wilbroad Ngambi Chief Field Officer Punjab.

The cornerstone of departmental cooperation must be to ensure the active and inclusive participation of children with disabilities in all decision-making processes to make them productive citizens. This was stated by Wilbroad Ngambi, while addressing as a chief guest of the ceremony arranged by Special Education in collaboration with the UNICEF, to mark the International Day for Children with Disabilities.

Wilbroad said transformative solutions for inclusive development of children with disabilities are the need of the hour for fueling an accessible and equitable world.

He said that disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development and peace and security. He said that the children with disabilities deserve attention, and their welfare is also central to the promise of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development to leave no one behind.

DG Special Education Sumaira Farooq said that the data of 70000 people with all the four disabilities in the province has been aggregated, which contains 40000 children with disabilities, who will be enrolled in the government schools.

Divya Dwadi from Nepal and representative of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Special Education Department shared the data and steps being taken for the betterment of the children with disabilities.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022