Concerns of disabled needed to be addresed: Justice Shivaraj Patil

Bangalore, Aug 19 (UNI) National Human Rights Commission Member Justice Shivaraj Patil today observed that the executives, field functionaries and independent media could play a pivotal role in ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities.

Delivering a keynote address at the one-day 'National Conference on Rights of Persons with Disabilities - Role of the Executive and the Judiciary' organised by the State Commissioner for persons with Disabilities - Karnataka, here, Justice Patil stressed that it was everybody's social responsibility to protect and promote the causes of people with disabilities, who constituted five per cent of the total population in the country.

He said the NHRC viewed that the rights of the people with disabilities not only needed to be protected and promoted but also needed to be recognized and restored if the society were to give them an equal platform to contribute potentially for the devlopment of the country.

Justice Patil said the highest percentage of disabled were in the visually impaired category being 48.5 per cent followed by disability in movement (26.9 per cent). While the lowest being hearing disability with 5.8 per cent and their number was increasing in all age groups. Life of the disabled was often handicapped due to various social, cultural, economic factprs and above all attitudinal barriers resulting in obstacles in their access to opportunities and enjoyment of rights on an equal basis, he observed.

He said the NHRC had always played a pro-active role in ensuring the enforcement of rights guaranteed by the constitution for disabled persons and had taken many initiatives in the effective implementation of the persons with Disabilities (Equal Opportunities, Protection of Rights and Full Participation) Act 1995.

He said the commission had sought information from the state governments about the measures taken regarding reservation in employment and education and other issues. It had also recommended to both the Centre and the states governments and Union Territories to evolve a State Disability Policy and Plan of Action to provide Social Security.

UNI MV/SR MQA PC1722