Communications barriers forcing people with disability into silence

MANY people living with disabilities are denied justice because of the difficulties they face in communicating, says National Board for the Disabled chairman Ben Theodore.
Theodore told stakeholders during a three-day meeting of the law and justice sector family and sexual violence in Port Moresby that women and girls living with disabilities had been living in silence because of communication barriers
He urged magistrates, police officers, human rights defenders, staff of the department of justice and Attorney-General, funding agencies and service providers to provide them inclusive services.
“If people in the justice sector are not trained to handle cases for people living with disabilities, they will be left to suffer in silence,” he said.
Lae Family and Sexual Violence Unit officer Ruth Muru admitted that there were one or two cases which her unit had difficulty communicating with the victims.
She agreed that it was a must for police officers to be sensitive when dealing with disabled people. Morobe senior provincial magistrate Pious Tapil and East New Britain senior provincial magistrate Samuel Lavutul shared similar concerns on communication barriers.
They also requested for training of magistrates, prosecutors and court staff.