Monitoring system for rights of disabled kicks off
Daily Star
17
May
2013
BEIRUT: The Union for the Disabled Lebanese launched a complaints and monitoring system Thursday to defend the rights of the disabled. “The monitor that we are launching today comes 13 years after Law 220 of 2000 that protects the rights of the disabled, of which most articles have yet to be implemented,” longtime disability-rights activist and Program Director Silvana Lakkis said, during the ceremony at the Holiday Inn Dunes Hotel. The launch was held with cooperation from the Social Affairs Ministry, the international development organization Diakonia, the Inclusion Network, various municipalities and a host of other associations. Caretaker Social Affairs Minister Wael Abu Faour and caretaker Labor Minister Salim Jreissati were also in attendance. “We hope that the monitor will improve the government’s ability to protect the rights of the disabled,” Abu Faour said. “There are a lot of issues to be addressed [in Lebanon] but the issue of disability should be tackled and the centers of the Social Affairs Ministry should be open to receive complaints.” On behalf of the union, Samya Abu Hasan described how the monitoring system functioned. First complaint systems will be launched in centers linked to the Social Affairs Ministry, municipalities and civil society organizations. The system also includes a process to consolidate complaints from different locations and issue periodic reports on the condition of disabled people in the country. This information, Abu Hasan explained, would be used to prepare national policies to integrate disabled people into society. The information gathered from the complaints will also serve as a reference point to make sure the rights of the disabled are being respected. “This monitor will identify the obstacles and difficulties that prevent disabled people from achieving their civil rights and integrating in society,” Abu Hasan said. A disabled person can relay their complaints by dialing the Social Affairs Ministry’s hotline, 1714, or online at www.disabilitymonitor.com. “The goal is to improve the living conditions of disabled people by enhancing their rights with mechanisms that will ensure accountability,” Lakkis said. The Social Affairs, Health and Finance ministries are also working to establish a fund to care for disabled people in public and private hospitals. “We started taking measures and the Health Ministry has voiced its readiness to cooperate,” Abu Faour said. Copyrights 2011, The Daily Star - All Rights Reserved 17/05/2013 Source Link
