Safeguarding persons with disabilities

The National Disability Council of Namibia (NDCN) is hosting a two-day legislative review workshop at the MTC Dome in Swakopmund.

The event is focused on drafting a Persons with Disabilities Bill as well as amending the national policy on disability, which aims to domesticate the principles entrenched in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) into its domestic statutory frameworks.

Amendment

According to Angelique Philander, the chief executive officer of NDCN, the drafting of the Bill and the amendment of the national disability policy are initiatives that the entire disability community warmly welcomes.

"Namibia has ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability in 2007. However, we have an outdated policy that was crafted in 1997. Therefore, the government needed these two frameworks to be amended, aligned and harmonised with national, international, and regional frameworks in order to cater for all issues pertaining to persons with disabilities, especially the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, which is not so comprehensive in any legislative framework in Namibia."

Philander noted that the Persons with Disabilities Bill has been crafted to ensure that the rights of persons with disabilities are comprehensively protected in Namibia. "We are also at the same time attempting to domesticate the principles of the UNCRPD, especially article number four, which puts out the obligation of Namibia as a state party to protect the rights and needs of persons with disabilities".

Data collection

"We are also busy collecting data in order to best inform the Bill and the policy," she said.

In November and October, they successfully collected data as a pilot study.

"The National Statistics Agency also looked at the report. With this policy and Bill, we are consulting all across Namibia to ensure that each and every constituency in Namibia provides their input for us to ensure that we comprehensively cover the rights and needs of persons with disabilities. Emanating from this policy will also be regulations and an implementation plan, which will ensure that we look at the standards that need to be developed in order to ensure accessibility and inclusivity for persons with disabilities," Philander said.

Safeguarding

Erongo Region governor Neville Andre said the workshop will not only ensure that Namibia complies with its international obligations but will equally ensure that persons with disabilities in Namibia receive the required protection.

"The Bill further aims to establish that Namibia and the National Disability Council of Namibia in particular are assertive when it comes to matters and issues that relate to persons with disabilities."

Andre emphasised that it is important that the open and inclusive policy-making process that these legislative frameworks are following is transparent, evidence-driven, accessible and responsive to as wide a range of citizens as possible, especially persons with disabilities. "We trust that with the commitment of the team, this Bill and policy will be presented and submitted to parliament by the end of this year," he said.

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