International Day of Persons with Disabilities (December 3)

 “Leadership and participation of persons with disabilities toward an inclusive, accessible and sustainable post-COVID-19 world”

In the time of People’s elected government, in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UNCRPD), the government took responsibilities to ensure that the people with disabilities are able to participate fully in society with equal access to human rights and fundamental freedoms and as well as to reduce inequalities suffered by them. Rules for the Rights of People with Disabilities (2017) were enacted and the national strategy on the development of people with disabilities (2016-2015) was adopted and implemented effectively. 

As the Corona Virus (COVID-19) has threatened the world since the year 2020, people with disabilities experienced and encountered more challenges than the ordinary people. At that time, the terrorist junta illegally seized the power from the elected government, and the civilians including the people with disabilities faced not only social and economic crisis but also the excessive use of forces against the civilians, arbitrary arrest, and torture. Some even died in the prisons and notorious interrogation centres due to brutal investigation by the junta. In addition to this, the civilians all over the county including the people with disabilities are becoming the victim of unlawful detention by making intimidation over the family, friends and relatives and burglary of property by terrorist junta.

Instead of meeting the rights and fulfilling the needs of people with disabilities in the courts and jails that they ought to do as per the Disability Right Act, the junta who unlawfully seized the power from the civilian government boldly ignores and violates the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. Thus, the act of terrorist junta who are not only acting brutally and killing unlawfully the civilians but also severely violating the rights of the people with disabilities, and in every sense torturing and killing disables are totally inhumane and unacceptable by the society. 

We would like to acknowledge and honor the active participation and leadership of people with disabilities in the civil disobedience movements against the coup of terrorist junta on this “International Day of Persons with Disabilities 3rd December 2021.”