Staff Reporter :
Speakers at a discussion called upon the government to take steps to ensure equal rights, full participation and opportunities of the people with all types of disabilities in the country.
People with disabilities, both in Bangladesh and around the world, are denied the rights to go to school, find a job, access to health care and take part in political processes and the discrimination is an injustice on a mass scale, they said while speaking at a discussion at the Jatiya Press Club in the city yesterday. The discussion was organized by Sightsavers Bangladesh to launch a petition with the urge for ensuring disability rights, a commitment of the United Nations and its member states. Bangladesh, as a member of the UN, the petition also puts forward a call to the government of Bangladesh to “I Call on the Government of Bangladesh to Put the Newly Approved National Plan of Action into Effect, to implement the Disability Rights and Protection Act 2013.” Speaking at the discussion as Chief Guest, Farida Yasmin, General Secretary of Jatiya Press Club, said, “We want to show the widespread support for disability rights both in Bangladesh and globally. We also want the Government of Bangladesh and the UN to know that people everywhere are no longer prepared to tolerate the violation of the rights of the vulnerable people.”
“I urge media personalities to cover life stories of the persons with disabilities, which will help improving awareness and thus can contribute removing stigma and discrimination,” she said.
Khondoker Ariful Islam, Country Director of Sightsavers, said, “People with disabilities, both in Bangladesh and around the world, are denied the rights to go to school, find a job, access to health care and take part in political processes. This discrimination is an injustice on a mass scale”.
“The petition launched today for disability rights has two specific goals. At the global level, it calls on the United Nations to make sure that its recently published disability strategy is implemented effectively. And at the national level, it calls on the Government of Bangladesh to implement Disability Rights and Protection Act and meet commitments made on disability inclusion,” he said.
The campaign is ambitious in its scale and is working with local disability groups and individuals in 193 countries around the world to get as many signatures as possible, he added.
Actress Odhora Khan, who attended the program as a special guest, also appealed to the established personalities of the society, renowned celebrities and business communities to treat the persons with disabilities equally, include them in all sorts of activities and promote them with dignity in the society.
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