More aggressive action required to address needs of children with disabilities – Education Minister at launch of UNICEF State of the World’s Children Report 2013
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand has urged the need for more aggressive action to address the needs of people with disabilities in Guyana with specific focus on children.
At Thursday’s launch of the State of the World’s Children Report 2013 at the National Park, Georgetown, she committed to Government addressing the issue more urgently and aggressively as she welcomed the report launched by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
Emphasising that Guyana has done much to address this issue she however, observed that there is more that could be done that would allow the country to meet the needs of all people with disabilities. Minister Manickchand called on all stakeholders to get involved and to address this issue more assertively.
Minister of Education Priya Manickchand
The Minister observed that a nation’s success can be based on how it treats its vulnerable people, noting that persons with disabilities from poor homes are the most vulnerable. Outlining the various levels of poverty, she compared two World Bank studies on Guyana. The first in 1991 indicated that 67% of Guyanese were living in poverty and in 2008 this was reduced to 35%. This, Minister Manickchand indicated, demonstrates the prudent management of the current administration which cut poverty by about half during that period.
She pointed to the Education for All Fast Track Initiative which assisted Guyana in the support for the School Feeding programme, and will now withdraw that support. This the Minister explained, was due to the fact that Guyana is no longer considered a poor, developing, indebted country, but has become a middle income country and can manage the programme on its own.
The Minister noted that while Guyana has done well economically, she believes that more can be done, “if we can implement everything that is in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, then we would be well on our way to addressing all the issues that we need to address.”
Evelyn Hamilton, Chairperson of the National Commission
on Disability
“I think it is incumbent on state, Government and NGOs and everybody involved, to change the circumstance for people living with disabilities around the world, and particularly for children living with disabilities. That is why I believe today’s (May 30) report …is timely, is a good reminder to the world, that we have a lot of work left to be done in the area of disabilities,” she said.
Noting that Guyana has adopted the convention and incorporated it into the Constitution of Guyana, Minister Manickchand said it has now become the fundamental rights for the children of Guyana.
Additionally tremendous work has been done in Guyana to ensure that the needs of children with disabilities are met while a five-year action plan is currently being formalised to address the needs of children with disabilities.
Evelyn Hamilton, Chairperson of the National Commission on Disability (NCD) also attended the observance to launch the report and to re-dedicate the disability friendly playground in the National Park. The playground was refurbished by the Inner-Wheel Club of Georgetown.
“They both deal with advocacy for the inclusion of children with disability in all levels of society and all the various aspects of our lives,” Hamilton stated. This, she noted is very consistent with the mission of the National Commission on Disability which looks forward to a society where these persons enjoy their rights and lead full and productive lives.
Dr. Suleiman Braimoh, UNICEF Representative of Guyana
and Suriname
Hamilton was heartened by the recommendations made in the UNICEF report, which she said validate the Commission’s efforts, which she pointed out, already deal with the second recommendation, which is one of its key responsibilities.
Dr. Suleiman Braimoh, UNICEF Representative to Guyana and Suriname, explained that the focus on children with disabilities simply means: humans under the age of 18 who have long term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment, which may interfere with interaction, create various barriers, and/or hinder the full and effective participation of those children in society on an equal basis with others. The major challenge, he emphasised, is “on an equal basis.”
Dr. Braimoh explained that while the 2013 report indicated that there are at least one billion people in the world with disabilities, one in 10 are children and 80% of those children are in developing countries. “So the challenge is in ensuring that children living with disabilities are enabled to participate on an equal basis, and the majority of that burden rests on developing countries, including a country like Guyana,” he said.
He noted that in Guyana for instance, “we know that more than 600 children are enrolled in special needs school across the country. However, the bulk of these are in urban areas on the coast with less penetration in the hinterland, which is not peculiar.”
Dr. Braimoh also highlighted a 2005 survey by the NCD, UNICEF and the Office of the President. Out of 1500 persons living with disability in Regions 4, 6, 7 and 9, it was found that 61% were able to attend educational facilities, while 59% were not able to have access. This meant that 59% of persons living with disabilities never attended school.
This, he declared is what UNICEF is interested in, “the most vulnerable children are in need of support and assistance.” UNICEF, he noted is using the launch of the report to add its voice and make sure attention and effort is placed on the issue, “they must not and should not be treated as members of the fringes of society. Rather, they need to be made members of the mainstream of society,” he said.
The UNICEF Representative also pointed out that there is the need to shift away from the emphasis that the issue of disability has to do with education and education alone and realise and understand that it has to do with general participation in society. The focus needs to be shifted in such a way, that with full participation, children with disabilities are really seen the way they should be.
“I recommit UNICEF to providing the support to the Government of Guyana and indeed, we are in the process of supporting the Government of Guyana to undertake a multiple indicator process of the country through which we can get the most up to date data available on children in the country, including children with disabilities,” Dr. Braimoh said.
The 2013 UNICEF report stated that international commitment has resulted in improvements in the situation of children with disabilities and their families, but too many of them continue to face barriers to their participation in the civic, social and cultural affairs of their communities.
Among recommendations made to address this issue was the call to fight discrimination; dismantle barriers to inclusion in all children’s environments such as schools, health facilities, public transport etc.; end the institutionalisation of children with disabilities; support families which have to care for children with disabilities, among other recommendations.