Rights of people living with disability recognised

National

THE rights of people living with disabilities are being recognised after a long struggle, says Disabled Persons Organisation chairperson Mary Ikupu.
“It’s heart-breaking for the disabled population that we have been together with the able people (but) we have faced so many difficulties, so many struggles. It’s a breakthrough for all of us,” she said.
“As a person with a disability, I’m also struggling for my right as a Papua New Guinean and a resident of National Capital District and Central.”
She was speaking during the opening of a workshop at Babaka village in Central for a disability survey/data collection training.
Ikupu said it was a breakthrough for all people living with disabilities.
“This very programme now starts us with making right real. We will be able to have data and that data will help us to make our rights real,” she said. “This workshop is the emphasis to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability that spells out the rights of the disabled persons, talking about statistics and data in Article 31.
“Today marks the day that Article 31 is being fulfilled.
“The next challenge lies with the actually collection of the data.”
Ikupu urged the provincial government to take on board the national policy for disabled people.
“We are looking forward to having the national policy on disability (revised) to be implemented at the provincial level,” she said.