Kathmandu, December 3

The National Human Rights Commission today said it was concerned about implementation status of the recommendations made to all three levels of the government, regarding the rights of differently-abled persons.

A press release issued by the NHRC, on the occasion of International Day of People with Disabilities, warned that prolonged delay to address the issues of differently-abled persons was not acceptable. The rights body also drew government’s attention to timely implementation of the recommendations the NHRC made to the federal, provincial and local levels earlier.

“We are confident that the Government of Nepal and all stakeholders will fully implement the recommendations related to the rights entitled to the persons with disabilities,” the release stated. It urged the government to protect and comply with the human rights of each and every individual by creating an disabled-friendly environment.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Constitution of Nepal and Act Relating to the Rights of Persons with Disabilities-2017 guarantee the rights of persons with disabilities.

However, disabled people have been ignored; deprived of their social, economic, cultural and political rights and have been facing physical and environmental barriers.

Earlier, the NHRC had urged all three levels of governments to specify their obligation to protect the rights of persons with disabilities clearly in their laws and ensure an environment that would enable them to lead a dignified life.

It had also urged the government to ensure participation of disabled persons in policy-making and development activities without any discrimination.

Other recommendations included promotion of compulsory rehabilitation programme, distribution of assistive devices to the persons with complete and severe disability; issuance of disability identity cards; investigation into the alleged misuse of the identity cards which is exclusively meant for persons with disabilities; transformation of existing public vehicles into disabled-friendly design; issuance of driving licences to persons with disabilities; ending violence against women and girls with disabilities, who have been subjected to sexual violence, rape and domestic violence, divorce and social ostracism and ensure the means of livelihood.

The NHRC had also recommended that the government construct all public physical infrastructure, technology and communication services on the basis of universal design; establish a Constitutional Disability Commission; ensure representation of disable people in the existing constitutional commissions; implement disabled-friendly disaster management system; manage sign language interpreter; manufacture all types of assistive devices and vehicles at cheaper rate in the country and manage disabled-friendly maternity rooms in hospitals.

According to the 2011-National Census, disabled persons accounts for 1.94 per cent of the total population.