'No school facilities for 16 lakh children with disabilities'

A new forum under the banner of 'Disability Rights Watch Group' was launched yesterday to monitor the present condition of the people with disability and help implement the CRPD (UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) in the country.

The forum was launched formally at the initiative of the National Forum of Organisations Working with the Disabled (NFOWD) at the National Press Club in the city.

“This watch group has been formed as a shadow watch group of the government committee, which was formed under its obligation for signing the CRPD which was effective from May 3 of last year,” said Forum Director Dr Nafisur Rahman.

It will help ensure the comprehensive rights of the people with disabilities, he added.

People from all walks of life including experts and rights activists, acid survivors, lawyers, development workers, indigenous people, two wheelchair users Mahua Paul and Antara Ahmed and one hearing impaired person Khaled Osman are the members of this group.

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Ayesha Khanam called for enacting laws for implementing the convention in the country.

Otherwise, the government would not feel it necessary to ensure the rights of people with disabilities, she added.

Although there is government instruction for building infrastructure accessible to people with disabilities, but most of the government organisations do not comply with this instruction, said Rasheda K Chowdhury, former adviser to immediate-past caretaker government.

She suggested for awareness among the policymakers and media people in this respect.

Forum Chairman Khandaker Jahurul Alam chaired the launching ceremony.

He said, “There are 16 lakh children with disabilities in the country who are now waiting for going to school, but we do not have the capacity,” he said.

Prof Abul Kalam Azad, Prof Abdul Mannan, Prof Shuvagata Chowdhury, Advocate Syeda Rezwana Hasan, Supreme Court lawyer Dr Naim Ahmed, columnist Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, Prof Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmed and CM Shafi Sami were present on the occasion.