The government must set up an independent and autonomous national commission/institution to implement and monitor the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in a true sense. The government should also ratify its optional protocol to make a better, accessible and barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities.
This was demanded by the participants of the provincial consultation titled "Implementation of CRPD and Domestic Legal Framework" organised by the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) in collaboration with Community Based Inclusive Development (CBID) Network. The prime objective of the consultation was to discuss the situation of the implementation of Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and legislative efforts in Punjab for the persons with disabilities. Besides, the challenges faced by the persons with disabilities and its resolves were also the part of the discussion. This consultation was joined by the representatives of Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Mall Department, Punjab Commission for the Rehabilitation of Disabled People (PCRDP), Rotary International Lahore, Kawish Resource Centre, Asia News, Technical Services Association (TSA) and Lyallpur Development Organisation.
Speakers also demanded that the government should include women with disabilities while making policies for them. The government must introduce comprehensive legislation catering to the needs and problems of disability community with 15 percent population in Pakistan, and make sincere efforts to bring the most marginalized group of the society into mainstream, so that the suppression and exploitation of their due rights could be stopped.
The Program Director of AWAM, Naseem Anthony said, "The government has ratified the UNCRPD in 2011 but unable to adopt it in domestic legislation which is redoubling the ordeals of the Persons with Disabilities (PWDs). Government of Pakistan must take necessary legislative measures for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities," he added.
A woman rights activist, Shazia George said, "The government of Pakistan has ratified Convention on the Elimination of all kinds of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) despite the women with disabilities are still ignored not only by the state institutions but by the civil society organisations as well," she further added. "Though the government of Pakistan has taken many positive steps for the development of women and announced different schemes but unable to include the women with disabilities into their development agendas. The government should include women with disabilities while making policies for them." "The government must create an environment which ensures the full participation and possible ways to empower women with disabilities for a dignified life."
The representative of Punjab Social Welfare and Bait-ul-Maal, Sohail Butt said, "No doubt the work on disability has been done on slow pace but in the past three years the Social Welfare department introduced different packages for the persons with disabilities." He further added, "Social Welfare always seeks the support of the civil society organisations to make the service delivery mechanism effective and efficient." He also shared, "Punjab Policy for Persons with Disabilities has been formulated and in the process of the final draft which will be promulgated in couple of months." "The enhancement in reserved job quota and announcement of Khidmat Card for the financial assistant of Persons with disabilities are also the achievements of the Social Welfare", he informed the participants.
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