Discrimination: CCD seeks urgent implementation of DAPWDP Act

Thu, Jan 16, 2025
By editor
2 MIN READ

Politics

THE Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD) has urged government agencies and stakeholders to prioritise the implementation and enforcement of the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act, (DAPWDP) 2018.

The centre made the call in a statement signed by the Acting Director of CCD, Mr Godwin Unumeri, on Thursday in Lagos, to commemorate the 6th Anniversary since the passage of the Act.

Unumeri described the Act as a landmark achievement in the fight for the rights and inclusion of persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Nigeria.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the law was passed in 2018 for the integration of PWDs into society, maximum protection and respect for their rights, as well as rights to equal treatment accessibility, and participation in all aspects of society.

However, in spite this progress, awareness of the Act and its provisions remain limited, hindering its full implementation.

Unumeri noted that though significant strides had been made in the protection and promotion of PWDs rights, more work still needed to be done to ensure the full implementation of the Act, particularly as the five-year compliance moratorium had expired.

He said that CCD had planned a series of events with the theme: ā€œAdvancing Disability Rights: Reflecting, Celebrating, and Renewing Our Commitments to Inclusionā€ aimed at increasing public awareness of the Act.

The campaign would also celebrate the progress made in the past six years while calling for further action in accelerating the implementation of the Act.

ā€œWe also seek to engage all relevant stakeholders, including the government, civil society, and the private sector, in advancing inclusive policies and practices that support PWDs.

ā€œThis includes promoting greater community support for disability inclusion, improving accessibility, and ensuring the active participation of PWDs in decision-making processes,ā€ he said.

Unumeri urged relevant ministries, departments and agencies, as well as private and public sector to ensure that PWDs had rights to accessible physical structures.

Some of the structures he highlighted included inclusive education, employment opportunities, transportation systems, healthcare services and safety in all situations of risk.

He further urged for more collaboration among the government, private sector, and organisations of persons with disabilities to establish and implement inclusive policies and also provide training for personnel on disability inclusion. (NAN)

16th January, 2025.

C.E.

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