By Shylet Maposa
Persons with Disability (PWD) is appealing to the government to domesticate the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) to improve their impoverished standard of living.
The Convention is a human rights instrument with a clear social development to adopt a broad categorization of PWD and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Zimbabwe signed and ratified The Convention on 23 September 2013 agreeing that it will domesticate “The Convention” to expedite the formulation of an enabling policy framework for persons with disabilities.
Addressing the media this morning, Agnes Chindimba Chairperson of Deaf Women Included said, “the constitution of Zimbabwe in section 34 obligates the state to ensure that all international conventions, treaties and agreements to which Zimbabwe is party are incorporated in the law”.
“The disability community has been expecting the government to domesticate “The Convention” since the signing and ratification in 2013 but over the years there has been piecemeal implementation of disability rights inhibiting the participation of PWDs and their enjoyment of human rights” she added.
“We implore the government to facilitate the domestication of ‘The Convention’ in domestic laws of Zimbabwe which is a step towards realizing the rights of PWDs in the country as well as promoting an equal and just nation” she said.
PWDs continue to experience human rights violations, exclusions and barriers with little effort towards the eliminations of this as well as limited protection of their rights.
Naspa Manyawu, disability activist, said, “PWDs do not have a ministry so how will they know about us? We have faced stigmatization and discrimination, we have been excluded in policy making, it makes us we feel rejected”
The disability community expressed its hope of full recognition and respect of disability rights in Zimbabwe.
Samantha Sibanda, Board member of Deaf Women Included said, “We are hopeful that the government will favorably heed to our plea after we submit our petition to the parliament.”
