The Bangladesh Pratibandhi Kalyan Samity and the National Alliance of Disabled Peoples’ Organisations on Monday demanded the inclusion of an adviser representing the persons with disabilities in the interim government.
In a press briefing held at the National Press Club, the organisations also called for the inclusion of representatives from the persons with disabilities in all committees that will be formed for reforms and at policy levels as well.
Bangladesh Pratibandhi Kalyan Samity executive director Abdus Sattar Dulal, who read a written statement, said that an adviser representing persons with disabilities should have been included in the newly formed interim government.
‘Appointing representatives from the persons with disabilities community are crucial for bringing real change in the country and achieving real reform,’ he said.Â
Citing the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, he noted that 2.80 per cent of around 17 crore Bangladeshi population live with disabilities, while estimates from the UN and WHO suggest that around 17 per cent of the total population have disabilities.Â
He said that persons with disabilities face discrimination and negligence, and are regularly deprived of their rights.Â
Other demands include reserving at least 10 parliamentary seats and two reserve seats at all levels of local government for persons with disabilities, allocating 10 per cent of money collected from organisations working with persons with disabilities as an indirect tax to empower and implement programmes of these organisations, and ensuring access for persons with disabilities to all establishments, jobs, transportation, and services.
