20:55
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Islamabad
While Pakistan joined the world community in observing the International Day of Persons With Disabilities, no substantial progress is seen to have been made in the direction of creating an inclusive and accessible society for all, which is the theme of this year’s observation.
There are over 1 billion people worldwide with disabilities. Of these, between 110-190 million, or 15% of the world’s population, experience significant difficulties.
Talking to this scribe, Dr. Maryam Mallick, technical advisor on disabilities and rehabilitation at the World Health Organization (WHO), said in Pakistan, like the rest of the developing countries, either the policy design does not take into account the needs of people with disabilities, or existing policies and standards are not enforced. “Beliefs and prejudices constitute barriers to education, employment, health care, and social participation,” she added.
People with disabilities, Dr. Maryam said, are particularly vulnerable to deficiencies in services such as health care, rehabilitation, and support and assistance. Built environments (including public accommodations), transport systems and information are not accessible to all.
“Patterns of disability in a particular country are influenced by trends in health conditions, environmental trends, and other factors such as road traffic crashes, natural disasters, conflict, diet and substance abuse. Disability is more common among women, older people and households that are poor. Lower income countries have a higher prevalence of disability than higher income countries,” Dr. Maryam said.
Dr. Maryam further stressed that in the post-devolution scenario, there is a need to build provincial capacities to develop and implement policies and strategies regarding provision of rehabilitation services and to mainstream UNCRPD in the developmental process. People with disabilities should be involved in formulating and implementing policies, laws and services, she stressed. The prevalence of disability is growing due to population ageing and global increase in chronic health conditions.
A recent achievement regarding disabilities in the country is the establishment of the Community Inclusive Development Network, which has brought all disability-related organisations together at one platform. The commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2012 provides an opportunity to address existing exclusion by focusing on promoting accessibility and removing all types of barriers in the society.
On December 13, 2006, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the first major human rights instrument of the 21st century. This convention imposes legal obligations on state parties to promote and achieve across-the-board accessibility for people with disabilities. Pakistan officially ratified the UNCRPD on June 6, 2011, but the commitment is yet to be visibly translated into action.
While Pakistan joined the world community in observing the International Day of Persons With Disabilities, no substantial progress is seen to have been made in the direction of creating an inclusive and accessible society for all, which is the theme of this year’s observation.
There are over 1 billion people worldwide with disabilities. Of these, between 110-190 million, or 15% of the world’s population, experience significant difficulties.
Talking to this scribe, Dr. Maryam Mallick, technical advisor on disabilities and rehabilitation at the World Health Organization (WHO), said in Pakistan, like the rest of the developing countries, either the policy design does not take into account the needs of people with disabilities, or existing policies and standards are not enforced. “Beliefs and prejudices constitute barriers to education, employment, health care, and social participation,” she added.
People with disabilities, Dr. Maryam said, are particularly vulnerable to deficiencies in services such as health care, rehabilitation, and support and assistance. Built environments (including public accommodations), transport systems and information are not accessible to all.
“Patterns of disability in a particular country are influenced by trends in health conditions, environmental trends, and other factors such as road traffic crashes, natural disasters, conflict, diet and substance abuse. Disability is more common among women, older people and households that are poor. Lower income countries have a higher prevalence of disability than higher income countries,” Dr. Maryam said.
Dr. Maryam further stressed that in the post-devolution scenario, there is a need to build provincial capacities to develop and implement policies and strategies regarding provision of rehabilitation services and to mainstream UNCRPD in the developmental process. People with disabilities should be involved in formulating and implementing policies, laws and services, she stressed. The prevalence of disability is growing due to population ageing and global increase in chronic health conditions.
A recent achievement regarding disabilities in the country is the establishment of the Community Inclusive Development Network, which has brought all disability-related organisations together at one platform. The commemoration of International Day of Persons with Disabilities in 2012 provides an opportunity to address existing exclusion by focusing on promoting accessibility and removing all types of barriers in the society.
On December 13, 2006, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the first major human rights instrument of the 21st century. This convention imposes legal obligations on state parties to promote and achieve across-the-board accessibility for people with disabilities. Pakistan officially ratified the UNCRPD on June 6, 2011, but the commitment is yet to be visibly translated into action.
Posted in: Islamabad
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