International Family Day-Workshop highlights family’s role towards persons with disabilities |16 May 2007

The UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the first human rights treaty to be adopted in the 21st century. It is seen as a human rights instrument with an explicit social development dimension which calls for a series of development interventions and set forth the principles on which they should be based in order to create the conditions necessary for persons with disabilities to enjoy and exercise their rights. 

Minister Lloyd asked the participants of the workshop, perceived as a first step towards the ratification of the UN Convention, “to reflect on how we can enable the family to fulfill its role in ensuring that persons with disabilities enjoy full human rights and dignity”.

Minister Lloyd made the appeal while launching the workshop yesterday at the International Conference Centre.

Organized by the Department of Social Affairs to commemorate the International Family Day which fell yesterday, the workshop saw the participation of over 30 advocates involved in actions supportive of the promotion of people living with disabilities.
Also present were individuals with specialized skills for the caring of persons with disabilities, parents and family members of disabled individuals, and the disabled themselves.

The International Family Day was this year being observed under the theme ‘Families and Persons with Disabilities’ and Minister Lloyd stressed that “any integrated national disability strategy that does not include the role of the family is doomed to fail”.

The launching ceremony occurred in the presence of the patron for persons with disabilities, Sara Rene, and the chairman of the National Council for the Disabled, Daniel Savy, plus various government officials and NGO representatives.

The half-day meeting included a presentation on the UN Convention for Persons with Disabilities, facilitated by George Savy, an audiologist at the Rehabilitation Centre, and culminated with a plenary session during which participants were expected to offer their contributions and voice out their concerns emanating from the proposed reflection.

On the subject of the Convention’s ratification, Minister Lloyd remarked that there will be other consultative meetings to better inform every one of its implications.
“Once we ratify the Convention, we will need to implement it and this will require revisiting legislation, policies, strategies, programmes as well as practices” she noted. “Without a doubt we need to mainstream disability issues as part and parcel of our sustainable development strategy” added the minister.

Noting that the country has gained considerable ground in this direction over the years, Minister Lloyd nevertheless said that “we need to pull our forces together in the same direction as we still have a long way to go”.