International Day of Persons with Disabilities is annually observed on 3 December with an objective to promote an awareness of disability issues, the fundamental rights of persons with disabilities and integration of persons with disabilities in the main stream of each aspect of the social, political, economic and cultural status of their communities. The day extends an opportunity to initialize action to reach the target of full and equal pleasure of human rights and contribution in society by disabled persons, launched by the World Program of Action for Disabled Persons, declared by the UN General Assembly in the year 1982.
History of United Nations and Disable Persons
Over the period of the United Nations' first 50 years, disable persons have become importantly proactive in asserting empowerment and confidence in their own respective abilities to lead self-dependent lives. The following precise history represents efforts by the UN which have endorsed their efforts.The foundation of The United Nations was based on the principle of equality for all. The Preamble to the United Nations Charter states the elegance and worth of every human being and provides elementary significance to the advocacy of social justice. Disable Persons are entitled to all the fundamental human rights declared by the Charter and their human rights instruments.
The General Assembly launched the foundation for the protection and promotion of human rights in the year 1948, when it endorsed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 25 of the Declaration proclaims that each person has "the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”
The Theme of 2009 “Empowering Persons with Disability with a Right to Act”
On 3rd of December, 2009, and throughout the week starting from this day, people across the world joined together to recognize the persons with disabilities expressing support, and enhancing awareness. This year was focused on the right to act. People with disabilities should be assisted and supported by other people of their own free sweet will in taking their decisions, was the objective of this year.
The right to act is universally endorsed as a fundamental and basic human right. Its implementation as a right to all individual seems so rudimentary that we forget that for persons with disabilities, the right to work is not always imperative. In terms of physical, institutional and attitudinal barriers, disable persons are often refrained from their right to act.
Today, change is imperative!
The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities had called upon all states to revise the laws, practice and regulations in their respective country in tune with the Convention on this particular day of recognition. It was a call for the end of discrimination for all disabled persons and the endorsement of the right to act, as a basic and fundamental virtue for every person all over the world.This day provides us with a chance to make a dedicated commitment to the principles of entrusting powers to the disabled persons with the right to act.
Activities conducted on this day include:
- Conducting days of discussion and campaigns raising awareness on the theme of right to act.
- Ensuring that legislation ensured that the disabled people are provided with the right to select helps on their own free will.
- Revising policy to enable all persons the capability to open and handle bank accounts including disabled persons of any kind;
- Taking measures to extinguish the guardianship method and to replace it by a process in which persons with disabilities are assisted only in their own decision making.
1981, International Year of Disabled Persons
1981 was proclaimed The International Year of Disabled Persons (IYDP) by the General Assembly in 1976. It launched a plan of action at the national, international and regional levels, with an emphasis on similar opportunities, rehabilitation and prevention of disabilities.The theme of IYDP was "full participation and equality", designated as the right of disable persons to participate entirely in the life and development of their respective societies, enjoy good living conditions similar to those of other people, and have an equal share in developed conditions after socio-economic development.
Other objectives of the Year
Enhancing public awareness; knowledge and acceptance of disabled persons and enabling persons with disabilities to build bodies through which they can manifest their views and promote activities to improve their conditions.Role of Handicap International
Since its inception, as long as 20 years, Handicap International has transformed from being an emergency body with a medical emphasis on disabled people, to an institution which promotes the human rights of disabled people.The organization is working in collaboration with Disabled Peoples’ Organizations at regional, national and international levels to understand disabled people worldwide and encourage their inclusion into the stream of society. Handicap International assists organizations in developing countries and Europe to incorporate the convention and other legal techniques in every day life.
The Actual Facts and figures
The World Health Organization affirms that there are 600 million disabled people living worldwide, about almost 10% of the entire earth population. It is also evaluated that about 80% of these disabled people live in developing nations.Globally, it is assumed that one in every ten people is a person with a disability and recent studies states that persons with disabilities populates up to 20 per cent of the population living in under poverty line in developing countries. Number of persons with disabilities still face barriers to their participation in activities of their communities and are mostly compelled to live under the poverty line. Many disabled persons are also forced into organizations, a simple breach of the rights to freedom to live in their respective communities.
Source - WHO
