scholarly journals Disability Rights in Botswana: Perspectives of Individuals With Disabilities

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-56
Author(s):  
Sourav Mukhopadhyay ◽  
Emmanuel Moswela

Even though the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons With Disabilities (UN-CRPD) 2006 has been in existence for the last 10 years, the Government of Botswana has not ratified the convention. As a result, individuals with disabilities (IWDs) fail to access services and are at the mercy of the service providers. This qualitative study involved in-depth interviews with 30 IWDs about their experiences related to disability rights. Analysis of the data indicated that IWDs face several challenges in exercising their basic rights; these challenges being (a) stigmatization, (b) infrastructural barriers, (c) transport barriers, and (d) information barriers. Findings suggested that awareness of disability rights among IWDs, caregivers, and the general public was generally low. As a result, many IWDs were not aware of their rights and therefore could not exercise their rights fully.

2014 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Parker Harris ◽  
Randall Owen ◽  
Karen R Fisher ◽  
Robert Gould

<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 3pt; text-align: justify; line-height: 150%; tab-stops: 6.5in; mso-layout-grid-align: none;"><span>Recent policy approaches in Australia, influenced by neoliberalism, have constrained the implementation of international disability rights at the national level. Within the neoliberal and human rights approaches to social policy, what is the lived experience of people with disabilities? In focus groups with people with disabilities and interviews with disability stakeholders in Australia, participants were asked about their experiences and perspectives of welfare to work programs. We analyzed the data by drawing on the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a framework. The analysis revealed tensions between the rights and responsibilities of citizens and the government, and a disconnection between policy discourse and policy practice. The results suggest that disability rights are jeopardized unless governments take responsibility to create the policy environment for rights-based policy to be implemented; including the equalization of opportunities, providing accessible information and communication about employment, and addressing the administration and process practices that employment service providers follow.</span></p><span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"> </span>


2012 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 103-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fikru Negash Gebrekidan

Abstract:This article examines the early history of disability rights activism in Kenya. The transitional years from colonialism to independence were a period of great expectations. For persons with disabilities in particular, decolonization held additional possibilities and potential. National independence promised not just majority rule but also an all-inclusive citizenship and the commitment to social justice. Among the visually impaired of Kenya, such collective aspirations led to the birth of the Kenya Union of the Blind in 1959. In 1964, after years of futile correspondence with government officials, the Union organized a street march to the prime minister's office to attract attention to its grievances. The result was a government panel, the Mwendwa Committee for the Care and Rehabilitation of the Disabled, whose published report became the blueprint for social and rehabilitation programs. The government possessed limited resources, and the reforms that ensued were long overdue. Yet the sociohistorical dynamics behind the march are of particular significance. From the social historian's point of view, they affirm not only the historical agency of persons with disabilities, but also the need to recast and broaden the scope of African social history.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 28-38
Author(s):  
Ricky Noor Permadi ◽  
Wildan Lutfie Arieyasmieta ◽  
Rustan Amarullah

This study aims to analyze to what extent the provision of the rights of special needs groups has been implemented and provide recommendations related to the additional infrastructure outside the regulation of the Ministry of State Apparatus Utilization and Bureaucratic Reform (PANRB) Number 17 of 2017. This study is vital since the government institutions still lack attention to fulfilling the rights of persons with disabilities. In accordance with the mandate of Law Number. 25 of 2009 concerning Public Services, public service providers are obliged to provide special facilities and infrastructure for special needs groups without any additional charge. The research method used in this research is descriptive qualitative by analyzing the existing literature (library research). Then data collection through field observations (observations), interviews, and other library sources. This study tries to look at the completeness of special facilities and infrastructure for people with special needs that are provided by recommending twenty-two standards for infrastructure intended for “people with special needs”. Some public service providers relatively have almost met the standards. However, there are also public service providers which still need to be encouraged to meet these standards. It is necessary to have the political will of regional leaders to prioritize the provision of facilities and infrastructure to support public services for people with special needs. Amid limited regional resources, prioritizing the stages of fulfilment (road map) of these special facilities needs to be prepared, and partnerships also collaborations with other strategic partners can be developed to help meet these special service standards. There are limitations in this research: only three public service providers are the locus of the study, including hospitals, the Department of Population and Civil Registration, and the Department of Investment and the One-Stop Service, so that it does not represent the condition of public services in a city.   Abstrak Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis sejauh mana pemenuhan hak-hak kelompok berkebutuhan khusus telah diimplementasikan dan memberikan rekomendasi terkait dengan sarana-prasarana tambahan di luar peraturan Kementerian PANRB Nomor 17 Tahun 2017. Penelitian ini penting untuk dilakukan karena masih kurangnya perhatian lembaga pemerintah dalam hal pemenuhan hak-hak penyandang disabilitas. Sesuai pasal 29 UU No. 25 Tahun 2009 bahwa penyelenggara pelayanan publik berkewajiban menyediakan sarana dan prasarana khusus bagi masyarakat berkebutuhan khusus tanpa pembebanan biaya tambahan. Metode penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kualitatif deskriptif. Pengumpulan data dilakukan melalui pengamatan lapangan, wawancara, dan sumber pustaka. Hasil penelitian menggambarkan kondisi sarana dan prasarana khusus bagi masyarakat berkebutuhan khusus yang disediakan dengan merekomendasikan dua puluh dua standar sarana prasarana bagi masyarakat berkebutuhan khusus. Beberapa penyedia pelayanan publik relatif sudah memenuhi sarana prasarana tersebut. Namun, juga terdapat penyedia layanan publik yang perlu didorong untuk memenuhi standar pelayanan khusus tersebut. Untuk memenuhi standar pelayanan bagi kelompok rentan, diperlukan political will pemimpin daerah untuk turut memprioritaskan penyediaan sarana dan prasarana penunjang pelayanan publik bagi masyarakat berkebutuhan khusus. Di tengah keterbatasan sumberdaya daerah, maka pengutamaan tahapan pemenuhan (road map) fasilitas khusus tersebut perlu disiapkan, serta pola-pola kemitraan dan kolaborasi dengan mitra strategis lainnya dapat dikembangkan untuk membantu memenuhi standar pelayanan khusus tersebut. Keterbatasan penelitian ini yaitu hanya mencakup tiga penyelenggara pelayanan publik, yang meliputi RSUD, Dinas Kependudukan dan Pencatatan Sipil dan Dinas Penanaman Modal dan Pelayanan Terpadu Satu Pintu sehingga tidak menggambarkan kondisi pelayanan publik suatu daerah. Kata Kunci: pelayanan publik, aksesibilitas, berkebutuhan khusus, fasilitas, infrastruktur


Author(s):  
Brian Wentz ◽  
Paul T Jaeger ◽  
Jonathan Lazar

Despite the significant advantages that access to information and communication technology has made to many of our lives, the related benefits, opportunities and even equalizing effect of this technology are often not accessible or only partially accessible to a growing portion of the global population. Current disability rights laws which are supposed to exist for the protection and well–being of individuals with disabilities are often too close to the heart of the problem, as they can actually promote a separate but unequal online environment. If current U.S. laws were revised to encourage born–accessible technology and there was consistent enforcement of such laws, the online experience of millions of individuals with disabilities could be drastically improved. This article examines the aspects of the current laws that perpetuate a separate but unequal online environment, discussing past and current examples of such inequity. It also contrasts the structure of current U.S. disability rights laws with other civil rights legislation and offers a set of policy recommendations that could have a positive impact on accessibility.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cowen Dziva ◽  
Munatsi Shoko ◽  
Ellen F. Zvogbo

Background: The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into place in 2006, as the main instrument for advancing the human rights of persons with disabilities. For many African states, the Convention came amidst ubiquitous marginalisation and discrimination of persons with disabilities. As expected, the Convention has been hailed as a landmark in the struggle to reframe the needs and concerns of persons with disabilities.Objectives: This article reviews the implementation of the Convention by the Zimbabwean government.Method: The study relies on reviews of extant literature on disability rights. Reviewed documents include the Convention, constitution and other related national laws, policies and measures pertaining to disability rights.Results: This article lauds the state for promulgating a disability-friendly constitution that resembles the Convention to effectuate a human rights approach to disability issues. Relatedly, the state came up with institutions that collaborate with research institutes and disability organisations to conduct research, provide services to persons with disabilities, raise awareness and advocacy and litigate for disability rights.Conclusion: In spite of these efforts, this article shows that Zimbabwe has yet to close the gap on the ideals of the Convention, mainly because of limited resources amongst state-funded institutions for advancing disability issues. The government of Zimbabwe is challenged to domesticate all provisions of the Convention and to provide resources to institutions for progressive realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities.


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Gwarega Chibaya ◽  
Pragashnie Govender ◽  
Deshini Naidoo

The Namibian government ratified the UNCRPD and its optional protocol in 2007 raising expectations that such a convention would fundamentally improve the lives of persons with disabilities. However, persons with disabilities continue to experience inequalities and violation of dignity. This study explores the impact of the UNCRPD as reflected on the lives of persons with disabilities in Namibia. An exploratory qualitative study with the use of photovoice and in-depth interviews was conducted in Omusati and Khomas regions, Namibia. Persons with disabilities ( n = 31 ) were recruited via purposive sampling, of which n = 25 participants were engaged in three focus group discussions. Participants employed in the disability sector ( n = 6 ) were engaged in in-depth interviews. Data were thematically analysed. The study findings revealed the inadequacy of disability rights information dissemination and continued barriers to inclusivity of persons with disabilities. Stigma, discrimination, limited financial opportunities, weak political support, and limited accessibility to physical infrastructure caused barriers to inclusivity. However, opportunities to advance the UNCRPD were also identified. There is a need for the disability sector to build on identified institutional facilitators to advance disability rights through mobilisation of local resources, communities, and government to redress the challenges identified in Namibia.


2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 221-244
Author(s):  
Toni Wharehoka

This article argues the New Zealand Government's current approach to compulsory psychiatric treatment is unjustifiable in a human rights context. Under s 59 of the Mental Health (Compulsory Assessment and Treatment) Act 1992, clinicians are empowered to administer compulsory psychiatric treatment to individuals without, or contrary to, their consent. This article analyses s 59, and its underlying justifications, in light of the New Zealand Government's commitments under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD). Further, it analyses the approach for compulsory psychiatric treatment advocated by the UNCRPD in light of Aotearoa New Zealand's mental health context to evaluate whether this approach would be more desirable than the current approach under s 59. The article then advocates for a more balanced approach to compulsory psychatric treatment which puts the rights of disabled individuals at the forefront and also ensures there are limits to these rights which are justifiable within a human rights context.


Author(s):  
Augustine Edobor Arimoro

After several years of appeals for the protection of persons with disabilities from discrimination in Nigeria, the federal government of Nigeria in early 2019 passed into law the Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2018. While this is considered a welcome development, it remains to be ascertained whether the government has the political will to implement the act. This chapter examines the provisions of the Anti-Disability Disability Discrimination Law in Nigeria. The aim here is to consider how the law can be employed to better the lives of persons with disabilities in areas including but not limited to access to justice, employment, healthcare, education, and transportation. The methodology adopted for the study is a doctrinal review of the law and literature on disability rights, the plight of persons with disabilities, and the effect of the recently passed Act of 2018. The chapter concludes with recommendations.


Author(s):  
Bantekas Ilias

This chapter examines Article 40 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which deals with the Conference of States Parties (COSP). The COSP is part of an established tradition whose principal aim is to keep the Convention alive by stimulating actions, collaborations, enforcement, capacity building, and others. The enforcement powers of the COSP are severely limited, if any, and should not therefore be compared to those enjoyed by entities with enforcement powers, such as the UN Security Council or the Council of the European Union. Although the powers and functions of the COSP could be achieved outside the legal person of the COSP on the basis of joint action by CRPD member states, the formal collectivization of member states ensures annual discussions on important and emerging issues affecting disability rights and contributes towards a consistency among a group of equal partners undertaking the same obligations.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 692-698 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Nimoh ◽  
Kofi Poku ◽  
Kwasi Ohene-Yankyera ◽  
Flemming Konradsen ◽  
Robert C. Abaidoo

Ghana lags behind the Millennium Development Goals' target for sanitation, despite widespread effort by the central government. Lessons from the historical shortcomings of Ghana's sanitation policy now call for public–private partnership in the management of sanitation in Ghana. Using observations and in-depth interviews with small-scale sanitation service providers, this study investigated the constraints and motivations of sanitation-related businesses in peri-urban communities in the Ningo–Prampram district of Ghana. Both quantitative and qualitative methods were used for data analyses and reporting. The study found that there exist various sanitation-related businesses such as masons/latrine builders, hardware suppliers and pit-emptier, in the study area whose activities are constrained by some financial, logistical, institutional and social challenges which limit their performance. Nonetheless, the operation of a sanitation business in the study communities was found profitable, and service providers are motivated by the financial returns and other non-financial benefits to remain and continue in their respective businesses. Policy efforts by the government and other stakeholders toward addressing the constraints to sanitation business are crucial for increased private sector participation and better service delivery to all stakeholders in the sanitation market, and the Ghanaian economy as a whole.


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