Ensuring Better Integration of Physically-Challenged People

Officials of the National Commission on Human Rights and Freedoms, government through the Ministry of Social Affairs, Sight savers and Elections Cameroon will today in Yaounde make proposals on better ways of protecting the rights of people with disabilities and their total inclusion in Cameroon's political, economic and socio-cultural life. This will be at the end of a two-day "Forum on the rights of persons with disabilities in Cameroon: Relevance of the disability approach."

The Centre Regional Delegate of Social Affairs, Boungani Sylvie Mana, opened the forum, stating that government was out to make persons with disabilities an integral part in the development of the country. The Head of Division for Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Human Rights Commission, Eva Etongue, speaking on behalf of the Commission, Chairman, Dr Divine Chemuta Banda said the forum was on occasion to enable actors better play their roles in fighting against discrimination, stigmatization and ensure the inclusion of persons with disabilities. They all stressed the need for government to ratify the UN 2006 Convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and sign the text of application of the Law of April 14, 2010 on persons with disabilities.

The forum participants who also include persons with disabilities are using the forum to evaluate the consideration of disability approach in the 2013 elections; discuss and propose ways to better fight against violence on persons with disabilities: create more awareness on the said people and other actors on their rights; create awareness on the population and other actors on the disability approach in all their programmes and actions. They will also propose ways that will lead persons with disabilities and other interested people to denounce violations they suffer.