Law drafted to give people with disabilities a better deal

PAPUA New Guinea has a draft legislation to strengthen the rights of people living with disabilities, says Minister for Youth, Religion and Community Development Soroi Eoe, pictured.
Eoe tabled the 2015, 2016 and 2017 annual management reports of the Department of Community Development and Religion in Parliament yesterday.
It highlighted that the greatest asset in any country was its people.
He said the department had made some notable achievements over the past three years, one of which was the draft disability legislation. “Our people with disabilities do not want to be seen as charity objects or be referred to as a health concern in our society,” he said. “They are not the problem but those of us shaping the environment that we live in today are the problem as we are shaping the environment in our country for able-bodied citizens only.”
Eoe said gender-based violence also remained a big issue but the government had already taken steps to address this issue.
He said for the first time, the government has taken ownership of the issue through the development of a national strategy which outlined the roles of government alongside development partners.